


Lavellan Rescue Center

by proffesormoriarty



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/F, F/M, Lavellan runs a shelter, M/M, Modern Era, Slow Burn, Solas is a socially inept professor, Solas is based on concept art solas, there are a lot of dogs
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-23
Updated: 2016-03-10
Packaged: 2018-05-03 01:57:01
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 47,185
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5272265
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/proffesormoriarty/pseuds/proffesormoriarty
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>As one of the community's only no-kill shelters, Ellana had seen pretty much every breed of people there was. She’d seen the single moms bringing their kids in for a puppy to smooth over the stress of their parent’s divorce, she’d seen the college kids coming to help out as an excuse to blow of studying and relieve stress, and she’d seen the assholes who drop their dogs off like used clothes, half-starved and sick. But this man, walking in with a cardboard box nestled in his arms- he was new. </p><p>His face was smudged with dirt, but no less beautiful for it, all cheekbones and sharp eyes and strong jawline. Freckles dotted the bridge of his nose and his cheekbones, constellations against his bronze skin. His long dreadlocks were tied into a neat knot at the top of his head. The way his hair was shaved down at the sides made his pointed ears stick out all the more- a bold move for an elf in a world where their population was dying out to violence and prejudice. Ellana felt her mouth go dry.</p><p>“Hello,” He said, inclining his head slightly in greeting. “I need some help.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! I'm not sure how I feel about this- I have a couple chapters planned out, but I thought I'd just stick this one up and see what happens. Any feedback would be super welcome!!

“Lavellan Rescue Center, how can I help you?”

Ellana twirled the cord of the phone around a finger, staring absently out the front window as she leaned across the reception desk. It had been a slow morning alone in the shelter, and she was tempted once more to call up her employees who had all suspiciously called in sick at the same time. She pulled her attention back to the phone call, doing her best to listen to the shrill voice on the other end of the phone speak about a poodle.

“Ah, no, I’m sorry. We haven’t got any poodles in. But if anyone brings him to us, we’ll be sure to give you a call. Can I get a name and number?”

She scrambled for a pen, finding one wedged under the keyboard of the prehistoric computer sitting on the counter, and scribbled the number onto the back of her hand.

“Perfect, thanks. I hope you find him soon.” She turned to put the phone back on the receiver, ears twitching as the bell over the front door chimed.

As one of the community's only no-kill shelters, Ellana had seen pretty much every breed of people there was. She’d seen the single moms bringing their kids in for a puppy to smooth over the stress of their parent’s divorce, she’d seen the college kids coming to help out as an excuse to blow of studying and relieve stress, and she’d seen the assholes who drop their dogs off like used clothes, half-starved and sick. But this man, walking in with a cardboard box nestled in his arms- he was new.

His face was smudged with dirt, but no less beautiful for it, all cheekbones and sharp eyes and strong jawline. Freckles dotted the bridge of his nose and his cheekbones, constellations against his bronze skin. His long dreadlocks were tied into a neat knot at the top of his head. The way his hair was shaved down at the sides made his pointed ears stick out all the more- a bold move for an elf in a world where their population was dying out to violence and prejudice. Ellana felt her mouth go dry.

“Hello,” He said, inclining his head slightly in greeting. “I need some help.”

For a moment, Ellana forgot how to speak, let alone move. A soft bark from inside the box made her snap to attention and she scrambled to stand up straight, smoothing her shirt out as she moved around the counter to take the box off his hands. Once she had it in her arms she could see that there were four puppies inside- either huskies or German shepherds, or some mix of the two. They looked like they were under a month old, and malnourished judging by their dull coats and thin bodies.

“I found them,” The man explained, brushing his hands off on his trousers as Ellana set the box down on the floor to get gloves. “In the woods. The mother was with them, but had already died. I couldn’t see any sign of injury on the mother, but…”

“They could be sick,” Ellana sighed, pushing her sleeves up. She pulled the latex gloves on with a snap, crouching down on the floor next to the box. “Any vomiting, shaking, diarrhea?”

“You think they could have parvovirus?” The man asked, carefully sinking to his haunches on the other side of the box.

Ellana blinked at him for a moment, surprised. “I-… Maybe, it’s contagious, wouldn’t leave any physical signs on the mother, fatal if untreated… Are you a vet or something?”

“I found them an hour ago. In that time, I have not noticed any symptoms consistent with parvovirus.” He paused, narrowing his eyes at the dogs. “I am not a vet, but I have had dogs before.”

Ellana brushed the question aside and carefully picked one of the puppies up, frowning when she felt his ribs through his matted fur. She carefully opened his mouth and ran a thumb over his gums, humming.

“Well, they’ve got teeth coming in, so that’s a good sign. Probably just around four weeks. Do me a favor, get my phone out of my jacket pocket. Just on that chair.” She gestured with her chin, trading one puppy out for another so she could look them all over for injury.

She let her eyes drift for a moment as the man stood up, looking over his button-up shirt, rolled up to the elbows, and khakis. He would look like he’d just come from the office, if not for his khakis being tucked into a pair of muddy, worn hiking boots. She pulled her attention back to the dogs as he fished her phone out of her pocket, bringing it back over.

“Okay, the passcode is one, three, nine, eight. Go to my contacts, call Cullen.”

She glanced up once more, watching his long fingers move over the cracked screen of her phone. His fingers were dotted with freckles too, and little scars. She swallowed, looking back down at the squirming puppy in her arms as the man made the call, and put the phone on speaker.

Cullen picked up after three rings, polite and professional.

“Ellana, how can I help you?”

“Hey, have you got anything on right now? I could really use some help at the shelter. We have four puppies in, like… a month old, more or less. Found with a dead mother. I need to make sure it’s not flu or parvo before I let them back with the other dogs.”

“Of course. Give me an hour, alright? For now, try to bottle feed them. They’re probably dehydrated, and probably haven’t been weaned yet.”

“Perfect. Thanks, Cullen, I owe you one.”

“One,” He laughed, and Ellana rolled her eyes.

“Okay. I owe you /many/. See you in a bit.”

She nodded at the man, and he ended the call, setting the phone carefully on the floor next to the box of puppies.

“Is he a vet?” He asked, watching her set the last of the four puppies back into the box.

“Yeah, he’s a saint. He volunteers here all the time, but he runs a private practice outside of town for exotic animals. Cool, right?”

The man hummed in agreement but otherwise refrained from comment.

Ellana took a breath and nodded, peeling her gloves off as she got to her feet. “Okay. I can take it from here, if you have somewhere you need to be. Thanks for bringing them in.”

The man slowly stood again as well, smoothing the creases from his khakis.

“Do you need to take down my information for your records?”

Ellana blinked at him for a moment, before she found herself stupidly nodding, moving around the counter again to find the pen she’d tossed aside when he walked in. She spent another minute searching for a paper in the mess on the counter, cheeks growing increasingly warm as the seconds ticked by. Finally she found a stack of post-it notes and pulled one off, taking a breath.

“Okay. Alright, if you want to just, ah… Write your name and number down here.”

She passed the pen over to him and looked away again, tucking her curls behind one pointed ear. The man’s eyebrows shot up in surprise for a moment, and he opened his mouth as if to speak. A second later he closed it, and instead turned to writing his information on the slip of paper, as instructed. Ellana busied herself with pulling open a drawer and pulling out a business card, settling it on the desk. As soon as the man was done writing she took the pen back, scribbling her personal number on the business card. Her heart was thudding in her ears as she smiled and handed it over.

“There you go. If you need anything, don’t hesitate to give a call. We’re always looking for knowledgeable volunteers.”

The man tucked the card into the pocket of his button down shirt and gave her a curt nod.

“Dareth shiral,” Ellana found herself saying, earning a curious look from the man, but not a response.

He turned and walked out of the shelter, leaving Ellana flustered and mortified and alone with four puppies. She sighed and picked the post-it note up, reading over his neat script. _Solas_. She said the name aloud, testing it on her tongue as she folded the paper up neatly and tucked it into the pocket of her jeans. Resigned to be an embarrassment for the rest of her mortal life, she turned and set about getting the puppies fed and in a more comfortable arrangement to wait for Cullen’s arrival.

 

************************************** 

 

“I’m not saying that you have _bad_ taste, sweetheart, I’m just saying that your taste is _inferior to mine_.”

Ellana rolled her eyes, tossing a crumpled napkin across the table at the Tevene man sitting across from her in the café. He laughed and swatted it out of the air before it could hit his perfectly styled hair, giving her a swift kick under the table.

“Shut up, how was I supposed to know the pizza would taste like snails and cardboard?”

“Darling, it was run by Orlesians. A pizza shop. Run by Orlesians.”

Ellana paused, pursing her lips. “Okay. Fine. I should have seen it coming, are you pleased now?”

“Mm, very.” He wiped his lips delicately on a folded napkin, before setting it in his empty bowl.

“Hey, how are things with you and that Marcher guy, by the way?”

Dorian rolled his eyes at the question, shaking his head.

“Uh oh,” Ellana raised an eyebrow, resting her elbows on the table, leaning forward slightly.

“He wanted me to meet his _parents_ , Lana. His parents. Might as well propose and suggest we buy a house together in the suburbs.” He wrinkled his nose in distaste, shaking his head once more.

Sighing, Ellana reached over to take his hand, lacing their fingers together. “Can I tell you something?”

Dorian looked up, giving her a weary look, but otherwise holding his tongue.

“Being in a committed relationship is not the end of the world.”

Dorian snorted, pulling his hand away. “Yes, you’re one to talk, miss ‘my longest relationship was three months’. Look, it didn’t work out. That’s all. On to bigger and better things.” He waggled his eyebrows at that, making Ellana laugh.

“Sure. Hey, you’re coming in to the shelter tomorrow, right? I don’t have any volunteers scheduled, I’m gonna be swamped with the new puppies and the mastiff that was just dropped off.”

She watched him duck his head, pulling his wallet from his pocket. He carefully counted out the bills and stuck them under his bowl, getting to his feet. Ellana followed suit, taking her coat off the back of her chair and sliding her arms into it.

“Yes, yes. I’ll be in. For you, because you know that I hate to see your pouty face.” He paused, wrapping his scarf carefully around his neck. “ _And_ because if I remember correctly, Cullen is scheduled to come in tomorrow afternoon for a checkup on those puppies, and I never can resist an opportunity to stare at his magnificent arse.”

Snorting, Ellana pulled her buzzing phone out of her pocket. She frowned at the number flashing across her screen, not recognizing it.

“I gotta run, but I’ll see you tomorrow, yeah?” She glanced up at Dorian long enough to see him nod and wave a hand, and then she was turning and heading for the door of the café.

She slid her thumb across the screen to accept the call and brought the phone up to her ear, shouldering her way out into the cold. “Hello?”

There was a pause, and then, “Is this Miss Lavellan?”

“Uh, yeah? Who’s this?”

“Ah. I was in your shelter, several days ago. I brought in a small litter of puppies.”

Ellana nearly tripped over a crack in the sidewalk. She swore under her breath, steadying herself.

“Of course. Solas, right? What can I do for you?”

“I called the shelter first,” He clarified, as if needing to justify that he was calling her personal number.

“Yeah, I’m not in right now, sorry. But, er… Did you need something, or…?”

“I wanted to inquire after the health of the puppies.”

“Oh, of course. Yeah, they’re malnourished, but otherwise healthy.”

There was relieved sigh on the other end of the line, and Ellana raised an eyebrow as she turned down the street of her apartment complex.

“That is good news. Thank you, Miss Lavellan.”

“Oh, Ellana’s fine.”

“Ellana, then. Thank you.”

Her name rolled off his tongue like music, and Ellana felt her stomach flip. She took a breath, fishing her keys out of her pocket with her free hand. Holding the air in her lungs, she dug deep for courage, and spoke again.

“You’re welcome to come see them, if you get any free time. Like I said, we could always use volunteers.”

There was a long pause, in which Ellana stood frozen on the stoop of her building, wishing to be swallowed up by the sidewalk.

“Yes. Perhaps I will.”

“Perfect! Yeah, that’s, ah. Good. I’ll see you, then. Maybe.” She brought her free hand up to her face, pinching the bridge of her nose as she resisted the urge to bang her head against the brick wall.

But then he laughed, soft and smooth like the wind through trees, and Ellana felt her heart squeeze in her chest.

“Good evening, Ellana.”

“See you.”

And just like that it was over, her phone beeping in her ear to signify that the call had been ended. Huffing, she tucked her phone back into her pocket and fished her keys out. She tried to trample out the butterflies in her stomach, but didn’t have much success. And if she was just a little too excited to set her alarm for work that night, who could blame her?

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhh thank you all so much for your kudos and kind words!!!  
> It's gonna be a slow burn, but we'll get there. :)  
> FYI there's some mild descriptions of a shoulder injury here, but it's not terribly graphic. Also Ellana swears like a sailor whoops. Thanks for reading, & enjoy!

“Okay. Heads it’s me, tails it’s you.”

“Yes, yes, agreed. Just flip the bloody thing already.”

Ellana rolled her eyes at Dorian’s impatience, rolling the gold coin between her thumb and index finger. Dorian delivered a swift kick to her shin and she stuck her tongue out at him in response, flipping the coin up into the air. She caught it before it could hit the counter, turning it and dropping it onto the back of her free hand.

“Fuck,” She sighed, staring down at the face of the Divine, smiling benevolently back up at her. “ _Fiiiine_. If I die, you’d better deliver like, the best eulogy ever at my funeral.”

“Not a dry eye in the place,” Dorian agreed dismissively, taking his phone from his pocket again.

Ellana shook her head, hopping down off the counter where she’d been sitting during their lunch break, drawing out getting back to work for as long as she could. She slid her keycard across the reader for the back rooms, pushing through with a sigh. She ducked into the supply room and plucked a leash off a peg on the wall, wrapping it around her hand.

“Don’t forget your rain jacket!” She heard Dorian call from the other room, and thought that for once, her mother may have been right- she was going to roll her eyes right out of her head if she carried on.

Still, he was right. It had been pouring since early that morning, the sky gray and heavy with the promise of a storm. The lightning in the air made her skin tingle pleasantly, and made her chest ache with longing for the magic silently singing in her veins. But to be an elf in the city was hard enough- to be an open elven mage was asking to catch a bullet in the head. She moved further back into the supply room, grabbing her black windbreaker off the coat rack. She slid it on, zipping it clear up to her chin. She pulled the hood up over her mess of curls, and headed back out to the hallway.

Making sure the supply room door was securely shut behind her, she headed down to the end of the hall and slid her keycard over the reader on the door leading back to the kennels. It clicked on the second try, and she pushed it open with a shoulder.

She was greeted with a chorus of barking and whines, half the dogs still waiting for their daily walks. The cages all had doggy doors leading to a caged area where the dogs could go to the bathroom and pace in the open air, but it wasn’t enough space for the bigger dogs to get the exercise they needed. So she found herself sinking down to her haunches in front of the cage of the Neapolitan mastiff that had been anonymously dropped off in their overnight room two nights earlier.

“Hey, bruiser. You’re gonna be a good boy, isn’t that right?” She carefully slid the lock across the cage, pinching it to release it. She set it on the ground and slowly opened the cage, watching the horse of a dog haul himself to his feet.

“That’s it, there’s a good boy. Come on, bruiser.” She pat a hand against her thigh to call him forward and he surged forward all at once, planting his big paws on her chest and knocking her flat against the ground. The next thing Ellana knew, slobber was dripping onto her face and a cold nose was being pressed against her cheek.

After recovering from the air being knocked out of her lungs she carefully shifted the dog’s paws off her chest, grateful for the thick material of her coat to keep his overgrown nails from digging into her skin.

“I know, buddy, I’m excited to see you too.” She wiped the slobber off her face, wrinkling her nose as she flicked it off her hands. “You wanna go for a walk?”

The mastiff barked happily so she stood herself up, unwinding the leash from around her hand. She got one hand around his collar and turned it about on his neck, finding the metal loop to hook the leash onto. When he was settled she took the leash by the handle, winding it around her hand three times for good measure, to give her a good grip on the dog- who’s head was eye-level with her chest. He’d clearly not received any obedience training before being dropped at the shelter, as evidenced by his absolutely oblivious ignorance of the command ‘heel’.

She managed to walk him down the row of cages to the back door of the shelter, pushing it open carefully with one arm so she could pay as much attention to her hold on the dog as possible. She tucked her chin into the collar of her coat as the wind whipped rain at them, and she began to lead the dog along the muddied path around the building.

They made it halfway around, up one side of the building, before things went south. She’d begun to think that the dog was really starting to understand how to stay by her side, but as her luck would have it, a daring squirrel ran across the path.

“Bruiser, no!”

Too late, she tried to let go of the leash. The dog barked and took off at a run, leaving Ellana no choice but to stumble after him.

“Fuck! Bruiser, stop! Heel! _Fuck_!”

She caught the toe of her boot on the root of a tree and face-planted in the mud, catching a mouthful of leaves as the mastiff jerked her arm forward painfully, making her shoulder pop loudly, resulting in the shoulder and the rest of her right arm erupting into searing pain

Finally, the leash untangled itself from her hand and the mastiff ran after the squirrel freely, happily barking and jumping at a tree as the squirrel climbed up to safety.

“Do you need some help?”

 _No_. Ellana squeezed her eyes shut and spit out a mouthful of leaves, deciding that if lightning should come down from the heavens and strike her dead at that exact moment, it would be fine.

“Are you alright…?” The voice was clearly going to be persistent, and creators it was familiar, why was it so familiar?

She used her left hand to push up off the ground, wincing as she got to her knees and looked up. Solas was standing in front of her, concern pulling his eyebrows together as he took in the situation.

Ellana felt her face flush progressively more red as she opened her mouth, searching for an explanation and finding that her voice had abandoned her. And all the while, Solas was looking increasingly concerned. Wordlessly, he crouched down in front of her and hooked a finger under her chin, making Ellana’s face burn all the hotter. At this distance she could see each individual freckle dotting his face, could see the swirling colors of his eyes, the supple curve of his lips. She wanted to lean forward and kiss him, creators help her. 

“You’re bleeding,” He informed her, and the spell was broken.

“Fuck,” Ellana sighed, bringing her hand up to touch her lip. Sure enough, she’d bit it hard enough to split it, and blood was mixing with the mud on her chin. “I’m not usually this clumsy. Creators, fuck, I’m so sorry. This is… What’s a stronger word than ‘mortifying’?”

Solas looked vaguely amused for a moment, shaking his head. “Wait here.”

Ellana watched him get to his feet and walk calmly over to where the mastiff had given up on the squirrel, and was rolling in the mud at the base of the tree. He bent over and picked the leash up, wrapping it securely around his hand. The dog didn’t seem too pleased at being lead again, but he cooperated as Solas walked him past Ellana and to the front of the building again.

For a long minute, Ellana was certain that Solas was going to come out of the building, get into his car, drive away, and never come back. Instead, he came out of the building with a wad of paper towels, and walked back over to her.

Ellana had managed to maneuver herself into a seated position by then, and though she’d managed to get a grip on the redness in her cheeks, it returned as soon as he crouched down in front of her.

“Thanks,” She mumbled, as he held out the paper towels.

She clumsily took them in her left hand, wiping the mud and blood and bits of leaves from her face best she could. When she looked back up at Solas he hadn’t moved, though his eyes had narrowed slightly.

“Can you stand?”

“I- of course, I’m not…” She pursed her lips, wiggling her toes in her boots. Water had seeped in, soaking her socks through. “I can handle it. Thank you for your assistance. I’m just going to sit here for a moment. Until my arm stops hurting. Dorian can help you with anything you should need.”

Solas clucked his tongue against the roof of his mouth, looking weary for a moment.

The next thing Ellana knew, he was sliding a hand under her knees and wrapping an arm around her waist, lifting her up off the ground. To her absolute embarrassment, she let out an undignified squeak.

“I said I can handle it!”

“Don’t be ridiculous, sitting in the rain, injured and alone is not ‘handling’ anything.”

“Well I didn’t-… You should really _warn_ people, before you go sweeping them off their feet.”

At that Solas looked amused, the corner of his lips quirking up.

“As I remember it, I swept you off your arse.”

Ellana was stunned to silence for a moment, heat rising to her face once more as she pointedly looked away from him to glare at the sky instead.

When Solas pushed into the building, there was the scraping of metal on the linoleum floor as Dorian jumped out of his chair, rushing over to the dripping, muddy mess she’d made of both herself, and Solas.

“Kaffas, I leave you alone for two minutes and this happens? Are you alright?”

Ellana braced herself as Solas carefully set her down onto her feet, throwing a hand out to steady herself as her knees wobbled. She wound up grabbing a fistful of Solas’ shirt, muddy and damp now through his unzipped coat.

“I’m fine,” She assured him, trying to wiggle her fingers on her right hand, but having some difficulty with it. “Well. Sort of. I think I dislocated something.”

She realized a beat too late that she was still holding onto Solas’ shirt and let it go, hand falling awkwardly to her side. She swallowed the lump in her throat and looked up at him, giving him something between a smile and a grimace.

“Thanks for carrying me in here, prince charming.”

Solas raised an eyebrow, shaking his head. “Do you need a ride to the hospital?”

“No,” Dorian interjected, waving a hand. “I’ll take her. Though I’m sure she’d love ten minutes alone with you.”

“ _Dorian_ ,” Ellana intoned, clenching her jaw. “I can take the bus after work, it’ll be fine until then. Dorian, Solas came to check on the husky puppies. Why don’t you take him back. Please.”

Dorian gave a dramatic huff, motioning for Solas to follow. “Fine, but this isn’t the end of the hospital discussion. Come on then, they’re just back here.”

Ellana stood still while she watched Solas reluctantly follow Dorian through to the back, waiting until the door clicked shut behind them before she let herself breathe. She closed her eyes and doubled over, bringing her hand up to tenderly feel at her injured shoulder. For a long moment she let herself stand there and wallow in her own self-pity, and then she stood up again, took a deep breath, and moved on.

She pushed her hood down and unzipped her muddy coat, shrugging it off to throw over the back of the desk chair at the counter. Her shirt was dry and unstained underneath, and she supposed she should thank Mythal for small miracles. Her jeans were damp and muddy and her feet were icicles in her boots, and as tempting as it was to cast a simple warming spell to dry herself off, she resisted the urge. Instead she sat down at the desk chair and pushed the sleeve of her tee shirt up over her shoulder, finding bruises blossoming along her shoulder and over to her collarbone.

Swearing, she toed her boots off to deal with that problem instead, dripping rainwater on the ground from her sopping socks. She peeled those off carefully and stuffed them into her boots, shoving them under the desk to deal with later. She had a bag of spare clothes under there as well, so she pulled it out and unzipped it, rummaging through. Locating a pair of dry, clean socks, she pulled those on and sat back in the chair, taking a deep breath.

She barely had a second to breathe before the door to the back rooms was opening again, and Solas and Dorian were coming back out into the lobby. Dorian came immediately to her side, frowning as he prodded at her shoulder.

Solas stood a pace away for a moment, looking on helplessly. He tucked his hands into his pockets and cleared his throat, looking away.

“I should be going.”

“Of course,” Ellana sighed, getting to her feet. “Thanks for, uh… You know. You can just, send me the bill. For the dry cleaning,” She specified, nodding to his muddy shirt.

“Ah. It is no concern.”

“Well. Just the same. Thanks again.”

Solas nodded, slowly taking a step back. He hesitated for a moment, and Ellana thought he would speak again. The moment passed, and instead of speaking, he turned and silently left through the front door.

Ellana stood in silence until he got into his car and pulled out of their lot. She turned to Dorian then, took a breath, and blew it out slowly.

“Dorian?”

“Hmm?”

“If you ever make me walk a dog that big again, I’m shaving your eyebrows off in your sleep.”

“….Noted. Come on, lets get come ice on that shoulder.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not 100% sure if I like this one, but I'm tired of working on it so ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯  
> Probably gonna be Solas POV next chapter if you guys would be into that, let me know!  
> (also, the next chapter may take a couple days for me to get up, i've got a massive paper due in that's taking up all of my time... thanks for your patience!)

Three days later saw Ellana stuck in her apartment with a dislocated shoulder and fractured rib, with stitches in her lip and a sling holding her arm close to her chest. Dorian had all but insisted on moving in with her for at least a few days, and it was only with the promise of daily visit allowances did she convince him to back off.

On the first day Sera came by with a store-bought package of cookies, a box of white wine, and the first season of Ru Paul’s Drag Race on DVD, and they’d pissed the day away so magnificently that Ellana nearly forgot about how much of an utter embarrassment she was.

The next day, Josephine had stopped in on her lunch break to bring Ellana takeaway, and they chattered idly about the stress of Josephine’s job at the University, and about Ellana’s troubles with her family back on the reservation.

By the third day, Ellana was starting to think that she could put the whole incident behind her, forget about the glorious creature she’d made a fool of herself in front of, and move on with her life. Of course, as her luck would have it, the universe had other plans in store.

She’d just finished maneuvering a tray of hearth cakes out of the oven one-handed when her phone buzzed on the counter, cueing Leliana to pick it up. The Orlesian woman had insisted on coming over for brunch to ensure that Ellana was taking care of herself, despite Ellana’s numerous protests that she was perfectly capable of being alone for more than one day at a time.

“Who’s sending you concerned text messages?”

“What?” Ellana set the tray of cakes on the stovetop and set the oven mitt aside, turning to walk over to the counter Leliana was leaning against. “It’s not listed with a name?”

Leliana shook her head, shrugging, and handed the phone over to Ellana. She slid the phone screen across the fabric of her shirt to clear the flour and smudges off it, bringing it back to read over the open text message.

_I hope this is not too forward. I wanted to enquire as to your well-being after your stumble. –S_

A moment later, the phone buzzed in her hand again, and a new message popped up.

_This is Solas. It just occurred to me that you may not have my number saved in your phone.  –S_

She felt her cheeks go warm as she read the messages over again, aware that Leliana was watching her expression closely.

“Oh, it’s just. Um. This guy who-“

“A _guy_?” Leliana repeated, a sweet smile spreading across her face. “There is a guy, and you didn’t tell me?”

“No, it’s…” Ellana huffed, shaking her head as she took her phone into the connected living room and dropped onto her threadbare sofa. “He’s the one who brought the husky puppies in.”

“Ah, Dorian mentioned him. Something about a chiseled jawline and ass you could bounce a quarter off.” Leliana smirked, following Ellana into the living room. She sat more gracefully, perching herself on the arm of Ellana’s patchwork armchair.

“Doesn’t surprise me, coming from Dorian. Anyway, doesn’t matter. I wiped out in front of him,” She said, indicating her shoulder with a wave of her hand. “He probably just pities me.”

“Mm. Well, only one way to find out,” She glanced down at the phone in Ellana’s hands, raising an eyebrow.

Sighing, Ellana tapped the screen to bring it back to life, fingers hesitating over the keyboard before clumsily tapping out a reply.

_Hey! Im fine, dislocated shoulder & fractured rib but nothing that wont hel. –EL_

_*Heal. Sorry. No good w my left hand :P –EL_

She sent the messages off and went into her contacts, adding his number under ‘Solas’, while Leliana made no effort to hide the fact that she was watching Ellana’s screen from her slightly elevated position.

Ellana kicked a foot out at her half-heartedly, rolling her eyes. “Mind your own business. He’s just being friendly, there’s nothing to gossip about.”

Leliana shrugged innocently, getting to her feet. She smoothed the wrinkles out of her dress and ran a hand through her short hair, making herself presentable. “I wouldn’t assume so quickly.”

“Look, you’d understand if you saw him, okay? People don’t walk around looking like that and stay single for long.”

In her hand, her phone buzzed again. She slid her thumb across the screen to unlock it, pulling up her messages once more to read his reply.

_Your definition of ‘fine’ is unsettling. –S_

She snorted as she read over the message, about to type out a reply. Leliana cleared her throat then, and Ellana set her phone aside and got to her feet.

“I’m going to head out, I’m meeting Josie for coffee. She’s swamped with work, you know how it is…”

Ellana nodded a bit, clumsily accepting the hug that Leliana offered. She walked her over to the door and pulled it open, stepping aside.

“Hey, we’re still on for wicked grace night on Friday though, right?” She asked, watching the other woman pull her coat on.

“Of course,” Leliana agreed with a smile, glancing back at the sofa, where Ellana’s phone was buzzing again. “Invite your mystery man.”

“Uh huh, we’ll see.” Ellana rolled her eyes, ushering Leliana out the door. “See you!”

She watched the Orlesian woman walk down the hall and disappear into the stairwell before she closed her door, slid the lock into place, and went back over to her sofa to plop down and pick her phone up.

_I visited the shelter today to bring some dog food. I saw a sign about needing donations. –S_

_I was concerned when I did not see you. Dorian suggested that you prefer texts to phone calls, so I thought to make sure you were alright. –S_

Ellana smiled, warmth spreading through her chest even as butterflies spread through her stomach.

_ill be back to work in no time, don’t worry. thanks for the donation, though!! we p much run on donations and charity, so it always helps. –EL_

It was a matter of seconds before a bubble popped up, indicating that he was typing out a reply.

_Do you not get funding from the government? –S_

_a vry small amount. we would qualify for more if we aligned ourselves with the chantry. –EL_

_And you chose not to. Why? –S_

A frown pulled at Ellana’s lips as she read over his reply, unsure of if he was asking a serious question of being ironic. Deciding that he was being serious, she hesitantly typed out a reply.

_we’ve always managed by the generosity of the community –EL_

_anywy, why would i want to accept anything from the institution that has killed and oppressed our ppl for centuries? –EL_

She regretted the message as soon as she’d sent it, sighing. Typically, in her experience at least, it was best to get to know someone before you began to shove your political standings down their throat. But he was one of them, she rationalized, and surely he would have the same feelings on the chantry that she did.

Except that he was bare-faced, and probably a city elf who grew up on chantry lies. She shook the thought away and stared at her screen for a minute, and then two, and still no reply or even indication that he was typing one appeared. Giving up, she set her phone on the coffee table and went into the kitchen to get one of the freshly made hearth cakes. She nearly burnt her fingers on the cooling tray, but otherwise managed to put the little cake onto a paper plate and transport it back to the sofa without incident. When she looked at her phone again, Solas had replied.

_I assume you are Dalish? –S_

_the vallaslin wasn’t indication enough? –EL_

_Truthfully, I wasn’t even sure that you were an elf when I first laid eyes on you. –S_

_The practice of temporary vallaslin has become increasingly popular, among humans especially. –S_

She snorted around a mouthful of hearth cakes, spraying crumbs across her legs. She’d seen the shems wearing meaningless designs on their faces in pretty colors, acting like they had any idea what they were pretending to be. Last month, it had even been heavily featured in a popular fashion magazine. Ellana rolled her eyes and buckled down for whatever debate Solas was trying to start.

_nope, mine r real. 100% elf here. –EL_

_You are from clan Lavellan, then? How did you wind up in Haven? –S_

_i went 2 the university. –EL_

_Truthfully? I have met few Dalish with degrees. What did you study, if I may enquire? –S_

_double major, zoology and histry, spcializing in ancient civilizations. –EL_

Ellana finished off her hearth cake while she waited for him to reply, popping her sock-clad feet up onto the coffee table. She stuffed a hand down the space between the cushions on the sofa, fishing the remote for her ancient television out. Flipping it on to the news, she sat back and brushed the crumbs off her sweats.

Finally, her phone buzzed in her lap.

_I am surprised, though not unimpressed. –S_

_surprised that a dalish could have interests besides farming and smoking elfroot, you mean? –EL_

_If I have caused offense, I apologize. –S_

_You defend your people readily for someone who no longer lives on a settlement. –S_

Ellana pursed her lips as she read the messages over, unsure if he was trying to start a fight or stop one. Normally, she would stop replying and write him off as a lost cause. Instead, her anger got the better of her and she typed a reply out.

_its not ‘my ppl’, it’s OUR ppl, first of all. city elves are just as misguided as dalish. –EL_

_So you admit that your people are misguided. –S_

_if we are ignorant & misguided, its bc our schools on average receive 26% of the funding that the leading human-run elementary school does in haven, and bc we’re 48% less likely to be admitted to university than a shem. it’s bc we’re being killed in the streets for clinging to whatever shreds of our lost culture that we can as comfort when the rest of the wrld- even other elves –would see us extinct. –EL_

By the time she sent the message, a headache was beginning to form behind Ellana’s eyes. She put her phone aside and got to her feet, fuming. Of course he would be a chantry sympathizing shem apologist. All of the pretty ones had some dark secret, after all. Some defect to counteract looking like a god walking among mortals.

She shoved all thoughts of the man deep, deep down and headed into her closet of a bathroom, carefully removing her sling so she could strip down and hop into the shower. Leliana had arrived so early that she’d barely had time to roll out of bed and yank pants on before she was stumbling to the door, so a shower would be very welcome.

She took her time washing and conditioning her hair, working her fingers gently through her curls as she did, and let the hot water soothe her aching muscles. By the time she was finished in the shower and dressed, nearly an hour had passed. Reluctantly, she went back into the living room and checked her phone for texts. The first was from Dorian, confirming their plans for pizza and netlfix that evening. The next text, having arrived only minutes ago, was from Solas.

_You are right. I apologize. I merely meant to imply that many Dalish cling to a past that they don’t truly know about and a culture they cannot understand. To me, it seems a foolish waste of time. But I understand your point. They cannot learn when the opportunity is not given to them. –S_

_exactly. but hey, if i ever go back to the reservation, i’ll be sure 2 give all the hahrens a history lesson for u. –EL_

_they’ll love that ;P –EL_

_Ha. Indeed. –S_

Ellana was about to set her phone aside and settle in for an episode of Jeopardy, when her phone buzzed again with another message.

_When will you be returning to work? –S_

_my doc cleared me to go back next week, so ill be in monday morning :) –EL_

_Then so will I. –S_

She felt her stomach flip in her chest and her lips spread into a grin, the earlier argument all but forgotten- much to her embarrassment. After all, what kind of person just forgets their morals for a hot guy?

_I look forward to seeing you. –S_

Her, apparently.

_it’s a date. –EL_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> comments & kudos are much appreciated!!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Solas POV this chapter~  
> I totally didn't proof-read this bc I was just trying to get it up quick before I leave. I'm going away for the weekend, so the next chapter probably won't be up until like Tuesday or Wednesday of next week, sorry!!  
> Anyway, hopefully my Solas doesn't seem ooc or anything. Let me know what you think, and as always thanks for reading!

Friday was approaching far too slowly for Solas’ taste. His Wednesday morning class had dragged on as much for him as he was sure it had for the students, fizzling out to an embarrassing end twenty minutes before the lecture was set to end. It wasn’t that he didn’t enjoy his job, because he certainly did. Teaching was rewarding in its own way, and the university allowed him a stipend and sabbatical to conduct his research in peace.

But as he sat in his broom cupboard of an office and listened to one of his students beg for an extension on the paper, he found himself wishing he’d gone into a less aggravating field than academia. Being a test dummy for car crash experiments, possibly.

“Very well,” He sighed, steepling his hands under his chin. “You have until Monday. If your paper isn’t on my desk by nine AM Monday morning, you’ll receive a zero. Yes?”

The student nodded and mumbled their thanks and scurried off, letting the door to his office slam shut behind them. He flinched as the hinges squeaked, grating at his already aching head. He needed a vacation.

Solas pulled his phone from the pocket of his trousers and slid his thumb across the screen, watching it unlock to his neatly organized home menu. For a long moment, his thumb hovered over the ‘messages’ icon.

Finally, he tapped it. There were only two threads of messages in his inbox, one of which was a very recent chad he’d had with Dr. Vivienne de Ghislain- or as she herself preferred to be called, Madame de Fer. The other thread of messages, however…

Sighing, Solas put his phone face-down on the desk and leaned forward, resting his elbows on the wooden surface. He buried his face in his hands and shut his eyes, giving them a welcome reprieve from the flickering fluorescent lights overhead. He put aside thoughts of the stack of papers in his briefcase that needed grading, or of the grant proposal he had yet to complete.

Instead, he summoned up an image that had been running through his mind incessantly for days. Even splattered with mud and tripping face-first into a pile of leaves, Solas could not deny her peculiar beauty. Short and wiry, even for an elf, and yet somehow graceful despite it.

Well, maybe not when she was tripping over her own feet and dislocating her shoulder. But even that had somehow been endearing, and had sparked real concern in Solas when he had thought his heart long hardened to other people.

He pushed that incident aside and focused on the first time he’d seen her instead. She’d been leaning over the counter with her hair obscuring her face, but as soon as she looked up at him he knew he’d made a mistake by walking in. Her skin was warm honey, starkly contrasted by the cool silver of her hair and the dark navy of the inky branches etched into her skin, and when she smiled to greet him her sea foam eyes had shone like sunlight.

Solas scrubbed a hand down his face, shaking his head. He’d known her for less than a week, if meeting her twice could count as knowing her. If he tried to compile a list of all the things he knew about her, it would be woefully short and certainly not enough to justify how frequently he found his thoughts drifting to her. A Dalish girl. Of all the things that Solas thought might distract him from his goals, that was not among them.

He managed to hold out for another thirty seconds before he picked his phone up, tapped his thumb over her name, and brought the phone up to his ear.

It rang three times before she picked up.

“Hello?”

Solas held his breath, only then realizing that he hadn’t thought of an excuse to call her. He scrambled for a moment, slowly exhaling.

“Hello. I just, ah. Wanted to. Ask a question.”

“A question?” She sounded incredulous, but not unamused. There was the sound of a door closing, and then some static as the phone was presumably shifted. “What sort of question?”

“You… You are Dalish, correct?”

“Yeah, I thought we covered that yesterday.”

“Indeed.”

“So… Are you gonna ask your question, or was the question ‘are you Dalish’?”

Solas dragged his fingers through his dreads, pushing his hair off to one side to keep it off the phone.

“Tell me, was your keeper religious?”

A pause. Solas counted the seconds in his head, hoping he hadn’t hit a sensitive nerve. Religion often was, for Dalish.

“Yes,” She finally answered, sounding hesitant. “Yes, Deshanna was very religious. I grew up on stories about the creators. Why?”

“I was merely curious. Is that why you chose Mythal, then? Because you believe her to be the all-mother?”

She laughed, then, and Solas felt his heart sing in tune to the sound.

“Gods, no. _I’m_ not particularly religious, even if my keeper is.”

He settled back in his desk chair, letting his eyes slide shut once more as he listened to the sound of her voice.

“Why Mythal, then? If you don’t mind my curiosity.”

“I don’t mind, I’m just… wondering where this is coming from. It seemed to me you made your disinterest in my culture very clear through your texts.”

“Ah.” He pursed his lips, deliberating for a beat. “Well. Perhaps something has sparked my interest.”

This time when she laughed there was a nervous edge to it, and halfway in it became muffled, as if she’d covered her mouth.

“Right, okay… Well, I chose Mythal because… I dunno, because she stands for justice. Not vengeance or retribution, but justice. The world is severely lacking in justice, in case you haven’t noticed.”

He shifted the phone from one ear to the other, pinning it there with his shoulder while he opened his eyes and sat forward, pulling open a drawer on his desk.

“I would say you are correct in that assessment, yes. I still fail to see how tattooing her symbol onto your face fixes it.”

“Well, not _just_ my face.”

Solas nearly slammed his finger in the drawer. He swore under his breath, retrieving the packet of loose-leaf tea he’d been searching for.

“Ah, I don’t…” He frowned, getting to his feet. “The practice of full-body vallaslin is outdated, archaic, even. I was unaware that some clans still preform it.”

“Depends on the person, really. Some people can’t take the pain of it, so they only get simple designs on their faces.”

“And you?” He shouldered his way out of his office and down the hall to the communal kitchen for his block of offices. “You suffered through several hours of this? For what?”

“Days.”

“What?”

“Days, it took four days for mine to be done.”

Solas put a hand on the counter, squeezing his eyes shut.

“ _Why_? Why would you go through that?”

There was a pause, which allowed Solas a moment to recover. For a moment there, he’d thought he was going to be sick. Finally, Ellana spoke again.

“I know what the current theory on the use of vallaslins was in ancient times. I’m aware that there are groups even within our own clans that want the practice discontinued, but…”

“But?” He pressed, taking the kettle over to the sink to fill with water.

“But who gives a fuck what the use was in ancient times?”

Solas raised an eyebrow, putting the kettle back on the electric base, and flipping it on.

“Historians, for one,” He informed her, opening the cabinet to pull his mug down.

“Okay, like, obviously I care for the sake of understanding our own past and everything, but I mean… Even if this thing was something awful in the past, it’s still _our_ culture, you know? It signifies what we decide it signifies, fuck whatever the original intentions were… Look, I know you’re probably going to tell me that it’s barbaric and undignified and whatever else. I don’t care. Mythal is a symbol of hope and equality and justice, and I wear her marks as a reminder to myself to strive to be like her. I won’t apologize for that.”

Solas shook his head as he listened to her speak, marveling at the way her voice subtly shifted the more immersed she became in her own argument. Her passion was admirable, even if misdirected.

“I feel that perhaps I’m digging myself into a grave,” He confessed to her, shutting the kettle off as the water began to boil. “I seem to keep offending you.”

She gave a huff of laughter, making Solas’ stomach flip.

“To be honest, I have this problem where I really like arguing. I would have gone for debate, if I didn’t have such a hard time arguing for things I don’t believe.”

“Yes, that is the challenge.”

“So, what was your question, then?”

Solas pinned the phone in place with his shoulder as he set about making a cup of tea, wrinkling his nose at even the smell of the stuff.

“I merely wanted to get your opinion on Dalish religion. I suppose I got enough to make an educated guess.”

“Ha. Well, if you think of any more questions, you know how to reach me.” She paused, and Solas waited for her to continue. “Although… I just took some pain meds, so I think I’m gonna have to go before I get all loopy.”

It was Solas who laughed then, leaning back against the counter while he waited for his tea to steep.

“Of course, I’ll let you rest.”

“Hey, Solas?”

“Hmm?”

“You have a nice voice.”

Solas felt heat rise to his face and he cleared his throat, opening his mouth to speak. Before he could think of a response Ellana was speaking again, through a yawn.

“Alright. I’m gonna go dance naked in the moonlight and do other typical Dalish stuff. Talk to you later.”

Solas rolled his eyes, biting back a snort at her comments.

“Rest well.”

With that, he pulled the phone away from his ear and ended the call, staring down at the blank screen for a long moment. It wasn’t until the door to the kitchen swung open and one of the other history professors walked in that he remember what he was doing.

He tucked his phone away and took his cup of tea back to his office, and started a countdown to Monday afternoon in his head.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lol so my bus into london got delayed by like 305892 years, which was bad news for me because I was stuck in a coach station for 305892 years without wifi... But good news for you guys because as it turns out, there's literally nothing to do but write when you're stuck in a crowded bus station with no internet connection. The joys of public transport :))))))))  
> Anyway, enjoy! Shameless platonic flirting ahead, btw. And so much awkwardness and embrrassment it was almost embarrassing to write. On that note, let me know what you think!

Ellana had never been happier to go to work than she was on Monday morning. Her arm was still in a sling and she had to go to physical therapy twice a week for three more weeks, but at least she could do something other than stare at the walls of her apartment.

As much as she may have complained about her hectic schedule, Ellana never knew what to actually do with free time when she got it. Friday had been pleasant enough with the company of a few friends, a bottle of Tevinter firewhiskey, and a few rounds of Wicked Grace. But it had been a short reprieve from the dull routine the rest of the week had seen her slipping into.

Wake up, shower, eat, watch tv, nap, eat, surf the internet, go to bed. Enough to make Ellana want to rip her own hair out by the time Sunday rolled around.

So when Monday morning arrived she walked into the shelter with a box of donuts tucked under one arm and a cup carrier with four cups of coffee in, grinning ear to ear as she was hit with the scent of wet dog and cleaner that hung around the lobby no matter how many candles they lit.

“You’re certainly looking chipper,” Dorian commented, standing from his spot at the computer to claim a cup of coffee as soon as she set the carrier onto the counter.

“Just glad to be back at work,” She answered, setting the box of donuts down as well. “Cullen in yet?”

“Oh, he’s in,” Dorian replied with a sniff, taking a sip of coffee. He wrinkled his nose but took another sip all the same, sitting down again. “He’s back with the husky puppies. They’re getting quite big, we’re going to have to find space for them.”

“Yeah, I know. Hopefully we can get them permanent homes soon. You know how it is, easier to get adopted as a puppy.”

“Mm. So, when is he coming?”

Ellana unwound her scarf from her neck and hung it up on the coat rack, giving Dorian an innocent look.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Your hair is presentable. You’re wearing the jeans I told you make your arse look good. _And_ I’m pretty sure you’re wearing a push-up bra.” He shrugged easily, setting his cup on the counter to inspect his nails. “Seems to me you’re trying to impress someone. And though I would be flattered, I assume it’s not for me.”

“Maybe it’s for Cullen,” She teased lightly, carefully unzipping her coat and shrugging it off her injured shoulder. “I could have taken an interest in… hairy, big shem men.”

Dorian laughed at that, tipping his head back.

“And what beautiful babies the two of you would make. Sadly, I don’t think you’ll have much luck on that front.”

“No?” She raised an eyebrow, hanging her coat up as she walked back over to the counter and pulled her own coffee from the carrier, warming her fingers on it. “Why is that?”

“Well. Let’s just say I may have ruined him for other people.”

“Holy shit, did you two-?” Her eyebrows shot up and she moved forward, bumping his leg with her knee. “You’re not joking?”

Dorian gave her a magnanimous smile and shrugged, settling into his smugness.

“No shit?” She laughed, dropping into his lap heavily. He let out an ‘oof’ at her sudden weight on him, but offered no other protest. “Fuck, I’m gonna owe Sera now. We had a bet, I was so sure he was straight.”

“Well, if he was, he isn’t anymore,” Dorian informed her with a smirk, wrapping an arm around her waist. He sighed happily, shaking his head. “Such beautiful noises he made, Lana. You’d think he’d never had his dick sucked before. It was a religious experience, truly. I felt like a chantry sister, the amount of times I made him pray to the maker.”

“You’re horrible!” She laughed, swatting at his arm. “Absolutely horrible. You’re going to wherever your maker sends dirty, sinful people.”

“And you think you won’t be joining me?” He raised an eyebrow, bringing a hand up to brush his fingertips over the shell of her ear. “What was it you told me about that boy from the reservation? That you enjoyed it when he took his tongue and-“

The bell over the front door chimed and Dorian cut himself off, both of them turning to crane their necks over the counter and see who had come in.

Ellana felt her heart drop through the bottom of her stomach when she found Solas staring back at them, frozen like he’d walked in on something he wasn’t supposed to see. She scrambled to her feet and smoothed her shirt out best she could with one hand, then using it to tuck her curls behind one ear.

“Hi! Hey, welcome! Uh, you can… Come in, please.” She cleared her throat and willed her face to stop burning red, fidgeting for a moment. “I was just…. I just got in, we were… Ah. Anyway.”

Solas hesitantly took a step in, blue-grey eyes darting between Ellana and Dorian.

“I can come back later, if this is an inconvenient time for you. I didn’t mean to intrude.”

“What? Psh, no, no intrusion. It’s fine, we were just. You know. Do you want some coffee?” She gestured at the carrier, two cardboard cups of coffee still in place.

Solas shook his head slightly, tucking his hands into the pockets of his black pea coat.

“Well, I’ll take this as my cue. I’ve got to go pick Cole up, he tried to tell me he was going to walk for his shift today because his car broke down.” Dorian rolled his eyes, getting to his feet.

“Oh. Right, okay. Hurry back.” Ellana shifted her weight from one foot to another, uncomfortable.

“Mm, I’ll do my best.” Dorian leaned in and kissed her cheek, smirking as he pulled away. “Do be good, I’d hate to walk in on something indelicate. See you in a bit.”

And with that he walked out the front door, leaving Ellana flushed red up to the tips of her ears, standing an awkward distance away from Solas with nothing to do and nothing to say.

Finally, Solas broke the silence.

“I was not aware that you were…” He frowned, pausing as he searched for a word. “Involved, with someone.”

“What? No, I’m not-… Dorian and I aren’t… I mean, he’s like my best friend, he’s family, that’d be gross.” She paused, shaking her head. “I mean, not _gross_ like ew _he_ ’s gross, because he’s not, he’s a perfect human being and I love him, but just not like…..” She brought her good hand up, scrubbing it down her face. Finally, she let it drop to her side as she looked at Solas. “What I mean to say is, he’s super gay.”

Solas’ eyebrows shot up and he inclined his chin slightly, lips pursing. “I see.”

“Yeah. Super into dudes. Which I am not. And I normally don’t really do shems. I mean, there was this one time in college that I dated this really hot shem girl, but that was….” She looked away, face still burning. “None of this is relevant.”

“No, but still very interesting,” Solas offered, giving her a small smile. “Shall we start over?”

“Yeah,” Ellana sighed, relieved. “Yeah, let’s do that.”

Solas laughed softly, taking a step forward. “Good morning, Miss Lavellan. You look well.”

“It’s Ellana, please. And thanks, you aren’t looking so bad yourself.” She bit the inside of her cheek, willing herself to act like a normal person for five consecutive seconds, for once in her life. “You sure you don’t want some coffee? I bought an extra, I’d hate for it to go to waste.”

Solas looked conflicted for a long moment, before he gave her a gracious smile and nodded, taking another step forward to remove the third cup of coffee from the carrier. He took a sip and for a moment his expression shifted to something like disgust, but it was gone so quickly that Ellana thought she might have imagined it.

“Thank you. How are you feeling?” He asked, glancing at her arm.

“Oh, it’s alright,” She answered easily, leaning back against the counter. “Annoying, but I’ve actually had worse injuries. You may find this hard to believe, but I’m kind of clumsy.”

“I would never have guessed, judging by your elegance and grace in my presence.”

“Ha. I bet you say that to all the girls.”

“That implies that there are other girls who hold my interest,” He replied, immediately. As soon as he’d said it even he looked bashful, ducking his head and quickly shifting topics. “How are the dogs I brought in?”

“Oh,” Ellana cleared her throat, standing up straight again. “Yeah, they’re good! You wanna see them? Cullen is back with them, but he should be finishing up, and he won’t mind.”

“Yes, I’d like that.”

“Perfect, come on back.” She moved around to the back of the counter to grab her keycard, making sure that the little bell was up on the counter in case someone came in and needed her. “We have them in a room right now, but they’re getting big enough that they’ll need to be moved soon.”

She took her keycard over to the door to the back, sliding it across the reader. When it beeped she pulled the door open and went through, glancing over her shoulder to make sure Solas was following her. When she was satisfied that he was, she lead him down a hallway and to another room. She very carefully opened the door and slid through the opening, waving Solas in to indicate he should do the same.

Cullen was seated on the floor of a small room with the four dogs, furnished with doggie beds, a box of toys, food and water bowls, and a litter box lined with newspaper. He looked up when they came in and gave Ellana a smile, scratching under the chin of one of the puppies.

“I’m just about done. They all look good, they’ve got their shots and everything. They should be ready to be adopted in a week or two, once you get them fully weaned from milk.”

“That’s great news, we were just talking about having to find space for them… Oh, Cullen, this is Solas. He’s the one who actually found them and brought them in. Solas, this is my friend Cullen. He’s the high class exotic animal vet who slums it down here with us once in a while.”

Cullen rolled his eyes and got to his feet, brushing his hands off on his trousers.

“Speaking of exotic animals, I’ve got an appointment to make at the zoo in Redcliffe, so I’ve got to get going.”

“Oh, yeah, of course.” She stepped aside to let him out the door, giving a little wave. “Thanks for stopping by, I’ll give you a call later.”

She watched Cullen duck out of the room before she turned back to Solas, taking a breath.

“So, here we are. Two girls, two boys. We haven’t named them yet. I’m trying to convince my landlord to let me bring one home, but he’s kind of a dick.”

She crouched down and patted a hand on her thigh, the dogs all running excitedly over to her. One of the boys, with mismatched eyes and a black spot on his nose jumped up, trying to lick her face. Laughing, she shifted to sit down and let them crawl over her legs.

Solas moved to sit down in front of her, folding his legs neatly on the linoleum floor. One of the dogs hesitantly approached him, sniffing at his outstretched hand. The dog seemed uncertain for a long moment before it finally relented and crawled into Solas’ lap, trying to chew at a button on his coat.

Ellana watched Solas run his long fingers through the dog’s fur, a smile pulling at his lips as he watched the dog more or less ruin what looked like an expensive article of clothing.

For what felt like an eternity, neither of them spoke.

Solas’ phone buzzing in his pocket was what broke the silence. It startled the dog in his lap, which had just nodded off, and nearly made the poor thing topple over on unsteady legs. Solas carefully scooped it up and set it on the ground, and pulled his phone from his pocket.

“Ah. I must have lost track of time.”

“Oh, you have to go?” Ellana wiped her cheek off from where one of the puppies had been giving her kisses, trying to hide the disappointment from her voice.

“I have a class I’m meant to be teaching in fifteen minutes,” He explained, slowly getting to his feet.

Ellana followed suit, trying to brush off the fur the dogs had shed all over her black shirt. It was a lost cause.

“Okay, let me walk you out.”

“When these dogs go up for adoption,” Solas began, following her out of the room, “I would like to take one of them.”

“Yeah?” She smiled, looking over her shoulder at him as she led him down the hall back towards the lobby. “That’s great! You should come back soon and spend some more time with them. You know, see which one you think would be a good match for you, get to know them.”

She pushed open the door to the lobby and held it for him as he walked out, watching him absently try to brush fur off his pea coat, which was just as much a lost cause as her own shirt was.

“I do have a busy schedule this week, with midterms approaching. But I’ll try to come back as soon as I can.” He paused, tucking his hands into his pockets to fish his keys out. “I will text you, if you find that agreeable.”

“Yeah, totally agreeable. Text me all you want.” Okay, too eager. She cleared her throat, adopting what she hoped was a casual expression and tone of voice. “Or whatever, you know, it’s cool. I’ll probably be around.”

Solas chuckled and shook his head, studying her face for a moment.  Finally he took a step back and Ellana brought her hand up to give him a wave, leaning back against the counter to stew on her utter failures at flirting as soon as he was gone.

“Have a good day, Ellana.”

She couldn’t help the dopey grin that spread across her face at hearing her name on his lips, and his chuckle as he turned to head out the door was all the indication she needed to know that he had seen it. She had to move, right? There was only so many times you could embarrass yourself in front of someone before you had to leave town, after all. She swallowed those thoughts down and soldiered on, praying to whatever gods were listening that she hadn’t blown it.

“You too! See you!”


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait!!  
> Full disclosure, I have no idea how the months work in DA, so just roll with the assumption that it's like early november in the story timeline. Also, I'm like 99% sure Satinalia (the holiday celebrated at the beginning of Umbralis) is meant to be Saturnalia, so we're just gonna call it Thedas Christmas and call it a day. Enjoy!

The next time Solas went back to the shelter, the first snow of the season was falling from a heavy gray sky. They were only three days into Umbralis, but the season had been unbearably cold since early Parvulis so Solas had been expecting frost fall to come sooner rather than later. When he had flipped the news on that morning, the reporters were babbling on about it being the earliest snowfall in a decade for Haven.

A glance out the window that morning at the quickly blanketing snow had nearly been enough to convince him to stay in, but he had already confirmed his plans to stop at the shelter with Ellana, and his desire to see her smiling face outweighed his reluctance to trudge out into the cold.

So he found himself with a knitted hat pulled over his head and ears and his nose and chin tucked into his scarf as he climbed out of his car and walked quickly across the parking lot to the shelter, leaving footprints in the thin coating of snow over the asphalt. The blast of warm air that greeted him when he walked in the front door was most welcome, and enough to make him brave enough to push his scarf down off his face.

There was a young blonde elf standing behind the counter, wearing a t-shirt that read ‘I KNOW H.T.M.L.’, with ‘how to meet ladies’ in parentheses in smaller print underneath. On the sleeve there was a logo for the university’s school of technology and science, so Solas could only assume she was a student. He cleared his throat as he approached the desk, offering her a tight, but not impolite, smile.

“I’m looking for Ellana, she said she would be in.”

The girl snorted, resting her forearms on the counter to lean onto it.

“Yeah, bet you are. You’ll have to wait, Boss lady is in the back with a family.” The girl lifted her chin a bit, narrowing her eyes at him. “You’re not Dalish.”

“No,” Solas confirmed, pursing his lips.

“Funny, innit? I love Ellana to bits, but she’s an elfy elf. All up on her high horse about preserving our lost blah blah blah.” She gestured with a hand and rolled her eyes, shoulders moving up and down in a shrug. “Her last boyfriend was Dalish, _and_ the girl she dated before that.”

Solas shifted his weight from one foot to another, a frown pulling at his lips. Curious as he was to learn more about Ellana, this hardly seemed like the appropriate way to gain information about her private life.

“Anyway, I figured she’s got a type. Apparently not though, the way she talks about wanting to bump bits with you.” The girl waggled her eyebrows and grinned, leaning even further across the counter. Solas instinctively leaned away. “Can I tell you something, pretty boy?”

Solas raised an eyebrow, stuffing his hands into his pockets. He glanced over at the door to the back rooms, willing Ellana to return and spare him from wherever this conversation was heading. He had no such luck.

“I suppose.”

The girl’s expression shifted quickly, going from amused to predatory in the blink of an eye.

“I’ve been the national champion in target archery for three consecutive years.” She lifted a hand up and jabbed a finger at Solas’ face, right between his eyes. “I’d hate to waste a perfectly good arrow rearranging your face, but if you try anything funny with our girl, I’ll have to cut my losses. Yeah?”

Solas leaned away from her hand, unsure of how to react to that. He’d known this girl for all of thirty seconds, but something in her eyes told him that she wasn’t bluffing.

“I’m not entirely sure I understand what you think my intentions a-“

The door to the back room swung open and Solas cut himself off, straightening up and pulling his hands from his pockets as Ellana stepped out into the lobby. She looked well, healthier than she had looked the last time he saw her. Her lip was healed nicely, no longer swollen and bruised, though she would have a scar running down the center of the bottom one where her tooth broke through. She still had a sling across her chest but she seemed to be moving better as well, and Solas wasn’t sure why that pleased him as much as it did.

Her hair was pulled up into a ponytail, the first time Solas had seen her without it down to cover her delicately pointed ears. Behind her, a human child flanked by his parents was blatantly staring at them. When Ellana saw Solas her face melted into a smile, and Solas felt his heart squeeze in his chest. He returned her smile and lamely lifted a hand in a wave, not wanting to interrupt while she was working.

He watched as she turned and spoke quietly to the mother of the family, explaining something about forms that needed to be filled out to adopt an animal. The exchange only lasted a few minutes, ending with Ellana handing them a packet of papers, and the family thanking her as they headed out of the building and into the snow.

Finally, Ellana turned and walked over to him, lifting her good hand to give him a little wave in return.

“Hey, I wasn’t sure if you were gonna make it, with the snow and all.”

“Ah, I don’t mind the snow. It was no trouble.”

A lie, but an easy one to tell. He would have braved a monsoon to see her smile.

“Well, I’m glad you’re here… You’ve met Sera?” She glanced over at the blonde elf, who smiled and waved sweetly at Solas.

“Yes, we have acquainted ourselves. She is a friend of yours?”

“Mmhm. We met at the university, through a mutual friend. She once hacked my shitty old boss who was holding my last paycheck after I quit, so I owed her a job.”

“Ugh, don’t say ‘hack’, Ell. It makes you sound old.” The girl- Sera - stood up straight and ruffled her own choppy hair, coming around to the other side of the counter. “I’m gonna take my lunch break, before you two start sticking your tongues in each other’s mouths and whatever.”

Ellana rolled her eyes, waving her off. “Bring me something back. Unless you go to-“

“Unless I go to Sullivans, got it.” The girl mock-saluted, and moved to grab her coat off the coat rack. “Put a sock on the door if you’re getting freaky in the supply closet!”

Ellana’s face flushed copper under her tattooed skin, and her tightly bound curls shook atop her head when she shook it.

“Ignore her, she says shit like that to get a rise out of people. She’s sweet underneath it all. Some serious internalized racism going on there, but… That’s besides the point.” She shook her head once more, taking a breath. “So. You’re here to pick your puppy, right?”

Solas nodded his head in agreement, vaguely amused by the events of the last several minutes. He brought a hand up to pull the knitted beanie off his head, running his fingers through his hair with his free hand to make it a bit more presentable. It was getting to be too long to manage, and he found himself tempted not for the first time to shave it off.

“Right,” Ellana agreed, taking a step back. “Okay, I have them all in that room again so it’ll be easier for you to get to know them… Uh, the one boy has a biting thing going on right now, so you might want to tie your hair back if you want to avoid hair-pulling.”

Solas raised an eyebrow and folded his hat, stuffing it into one pocket. He patted the other pocket to see if he had any hair ties, and came up empty.

“Oh, here,” Ellana held her free hand out palm-up, displaying the black hair tie secured onto her wrist. She paused then, face flushing again. “Sorry, I can’t really take it off myself, but you can use it.”

Solas’ eyes flicked from her thin wrist to her sling and back again, mouth going dry. She was wearing a long-sleeved tee shirt, the sleeve on her left arm pulled up to mid-forearm. The inky designs of her vallaslin trailed down her arm and around her wrists, vines and leaves intricately detailed in deep blue. He took a step forward and carefully brought both hands up to her wrist. He wrapped the fingers of one hand around her forearm, keeping her hand steady while he pulled the hair tie off with the other. There was a bone-white scar in her palm, raised and circular, like she'd been burned by something. Her skin was warm under his, and with his thumb settled over the veins in her wrist he could feel her pulse steadily climbing.

Ellana cleared her throat and Solas snapped back to reality, dropping her hand like he’d been burned.

“I’m sorry.”

“What? No, it’s…” Ellana looked away, giving a nervous laugh. “Let’s, um…. Let’s go back and see the dogs.”

“Yes,” Solas agreed, bringing his hands up to busy them with tying his hair into a ponytail. He racked his brain for a topic of conversation to fill the sudden heavy silence as Ellana awkwardly slid her keycard through the reader and nudged the door open with her foot at the same time. “Will you be participating in the Satinalia celebrations coming up?”

Ellana snorted at that, tucking her keycard back into her pocket as she bumped the door with her left hip, keeping it open for Solas to come through. His eyes were drawn to the motion, lingering on the smooth line of her long legs for a beat too long.

“Well, nearly all of my friends are Andrastian, so I’ll get roped into the ugly sweater parties and gift exchanges, I’m sure. My friend Josephine is having a Satinalia party in like… a week and a half, I’ve already been informed that if I don’t show up I’m dead to her… So I’ve got to go.”

“Josephine Montilyet?” He frowned, following her down the hallway, with his eyes firmly trained on the space between her shoulder blades and not on the way her hips swayed when she walked.

“Yeah! You know her?”

“We work together,” He pursed his lips, watching Ellana carefully shoulder into the room where the puppies were excitedly barking inside. He followed her in, quickly shutting the door behind him.

“No kidding? Well, I’m sure she’ll be inviting you too, she goes all out for parties.” Ellana finally turned back to him, giving him a smile that dimpled her cheeks and made her eyes shine even in the flickering fluorescent lights. At this distance, Solas could see the thin, pale scar across the bridge of her nose and the dusting of pale freckles mostly hidden by the blue of Mythal’s branches.

He cleared his throat, tearing his eyes from her face to re-focus on the dogs. Two of the puppies were too busy fighting over a chew toy to notice their presence, but the other two happily ran over to greet them, tails wagging.

Ellana crouched down to greet them, letting them give her kisses and sniff at her as she managed best she could to pet them both one-handed.

“So, there were four of us in yesterday and we just named one each… The grey furred one over there trying to kill her sibling was Sera’s pick, unsurprisingly. Even more unsurprisingly, she decided to name her Ladykiller. We’re not putting that name on the adoption card, don’t worry. Dorian named the brother she’s fighting with Valerius, because he said he was bloodthirsty enough to deserve a Tevene name.” She rolled her eyes, shrugging. “I should have named them all myself, I swear.”

“And these?” Solas asked, crouching down and extending a hand to one of the two dogs that had come over. The one who approached him had charcoal and white fur, and mismatched eyes of blue and grey. “What are their names?”

Ellana laughed softly as the dark-furred dog trying to climb into her lap kissed her face.

“This one,” She said, indicating the dog crawling on her, “Cole named her Bunny. I don’t think he quite understands naming conventions, but that’s alright… And that one, I… Well, don’t laugh.”

“Why would I laugh?” The dog in question sat in front of him, resting his little head on Solas’ knee to look up at him. “Did you name him something terribly Dalish and embarrassing?”

She scoffed, rolling her eyes.

“No, he’s called Fenlin.”

“Fenlin,” Solas repeated, equal parts surprised and amused. “Isn’t there a Dalish superstition about wolves?”

Ellana shrugged, ducking her head to hide her face against the female dog- Bunny’s –fur.

“He looks like a little wolf pup though doesn’t he? It suits him. Anyway, wolves don’t scare me.”

“No?” He scratched behind Fenlin’s ears, surprised at how well the puppy was behaving. “Why is that?”

“I mean, like, I have a healthy fear of all wild animals. Like I wouldn’t go up to a wolf in the woods and try to pet it. But I’m not specifically afraid that the Dread Wolf is gonna come eat me in my sleep. Even if he _is_ real, I figure he owes me one for taking care of all his buddies here.” She scratched under Bunny’s chin, letting the dog give her cheek a generous kiss. “Isn’t that right, sweet girl?”

Solas snorted, making Ellana look up in surprise.

“You think that the Dread Wolf is personally acquainted with every dog in the world?”

He felt a pang of guilt in his stomach as Ellana’s face and ears flushed in response to his criticism, but she was speaking again before he could apologize.

“It was just a joke and-”

“Of course, I only-”

“I already told you I’m not religious, so-”

“I remember. I’m sorry.”

He watched her press her lips into a line, studying him for a moment before she let out a huff of air and turned her attention back to the dogs.

“So, what do you think? Any of them sticking out to you?”

Solas settled back to sit cross legged, letting Fenlin crawl into his lap and curl up, resting his head on Solas’ thigh once more.

“He seems to like me,” He commented, absently carding his fingers through the puppy’s fur.

“So he does,” She agreed, raising an eyebrow. “Actually, that’s the calmest I’ve seen him since he got here… Where were you when we were trying to give them a bath yesterday? I thought he was gonna bite my hand off.”

“I’ll take him.”

“Are you sure? You don’t want to, like, spend some more time with the other dogs first?”

“No, I’m sure. It’s him.”

Ellana was quiet for a beat, and then she shrugged.

“Okay. Well, it takes twenty-four hours for the paperwork to go through, and we have to have Cullen come check him over one more time before he let him go, but you should be able to pick him up in a day or two. Let me go get the paperwork for you.”

Solas nodded a bit, and Ellana carefully moved Bunny aside so she could awkwardly get to her feet and exit the room again. She was gone only a minute before she opened the door and stuck her head in.

“Okay, come on out here. If you try to fill the form out in there, someone’s gonna drool on it.”

Solas laughed softly, giving Fenlin a final pat on the head before he scooped the puppy up, earning a whine from the dog. He set him on the ground and got to his feet, brushing the fur off his trousers and coat as he followed Ellana back out into the hall.

“Do you have everything you need, in your house?” She asked, as she walked him back out to the lobby.

“I live in an apartment,” He replied, thinking on how he had none of the necessary supplies for a dog. “I will need to do some shopping.”

“Oh. Well, does your landlord allow pets?”

“I own the building.”

Ellana’s eyebrows shot up and she licked her lips in the pause, making Solas’ eyes flick down to her mouth. She cleared her throat and he looked back up to her eyes, offering a tight smile.

“Well, that’s… Uh, good for you. I can barely afford my shitty studio,” She gave a forced laugh, holding a clipboard out to Solas. “I’d have a whole bunch of pets if my landlord wasn’t such a dick about it, probably.”

“Ah. Well. There _is_ an open apartment in my building, currently.” He took the clipboard and turned his eyes to the form attached to it so he wouldn’t have to look at Ellana’s face as he made the offer. “It is only a few blocks from the University.”

“Oh, shit, I definitely can’t afford it then. Sorry.” She brought a hand up to rub at the back of her neck, and Solas internally kicked himself for making her uncomfortable. “Thanks for the offer, though. If I ever win the lottery I’ll take you up on it.”

He slid the attached pen out from under the metal clasp of the clipboard and began to fill his information out, occasionally glancing up at Ellana.

“You didn’t even ask what I charge monthly for rent.”

“Everything within a mile radius of the University is either shitty student housing, or ritzy condos or three bedroom apartments for the rich people that work uptown… Your watch looks like it’s worth more than my car, so I’m gonna go ahead and say that you don’t own a shitty student housing buiding.”

He chuckled at that, shaking his head slightly as he wrote his address down on the form.

“No, it’s a nice building. Skyhold Apartment Complex, up the hill from the school.”

“No shit! That crazy building with the rooftop garden and fucking greenhouse?”

He raised an eyebrow at her description of the building, but nodded slightly to indicate she was thinking of the correct complex.

“Fuck, I couldn’t afford to live there even if I _did_ win the lottery. Creators, fuck.”

He filled out the last line on the form and slid the pen back into place, finally looking up to hand it back. Ellana’s face was twisted with something like embarrassment, and Solas felt a frown pull at his own face.

“Thank, but honestly... You should see the place I’m living right now. Makes your place look even nicer, if that’s possible.” She took the form and turned, putting it on the counter.

“Was that an invitation?”

Ellana whipped back around so fast that a few curls sprung loose from her ponytail, her skin flushed bright red up to the tips of her ears. “No, I was just- I mean, not that I don’t want- I mean- ah… I was just. My place is really shitty, honestly. I don’t even have hot water anymore, you wouldn’t want to come there anyway.”

Solas felt a laugh bubbling up in his chest and he bit his lip to stifle it, stuffing a hand into the breast pocket of his shirt under his coat, finally closing his fingers on the card he was looking for. He held it out to her, giving her a smile.

“Call my assistant, she can give you the current rates for rent in my building. Don’t discount the possibility until you’ve explored all options.”

Ellana took the card and tuck it into the pocket of her jeans without looking at it, eyes trained on the floor.

“Sure, we’ll see.”

Solas nodded a bit, taking a step back. “Well, then. I look forward to hearing from you about Fenlin.”

Ellana didn’t even look up to smile or wave at him, and Solas narrowed his eyes as he turned to head back out into the snow and head home. Even if he didn’t understand his burning need to fix things for this woman, he understood that it was there and he needed to do something to put a smile back on her face.

“Have a good day, Ellana.”

“See you around, Solas.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos & Comments always appreciated!!


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this one's a bit short, but there's more coming within a few days. Fair warning it's so sweet and fluffy it gave me cavities to write, but I may or may not be trying to soften a blow that's going to be coming in the next few chapters... We'll see!   
> Enjoy!

Ellana was never going to understand shem holidays. What lugging a giant tree into your living room had to do with the maker, she wasn’t entirely sure. But with Satinalia only a week away, people were going on about being charitable and spending time with loved ones, so Ellana couldn’t very well say no when Josephine asked her to come over and help decorate for the party.

So that was how she found herself covered in tree sap and bits of glitter and tinsel, standing on a ladder to put an intricately decorated glass star on the top of the pine tree situated in a corner of Josephine’s large living room.

“No, a little to the left,” Josephine instructed from the ground, tapping a finger to her lips. “It’s lopsided.”

Ellana huffed, leaning up further to get the star in the correct position.

“You know, I’ve only had my sling off for two days, Josie,” Ellana pointed out, turning her head to avoid getting a mouthful of tree branches. “I’m pretty sure I wasn’t cleared for wrestling with trees yet.”

Josephine clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth, and a quick glance down confirmed that she’d crossed her arms over her chest and adopted the stance she reserved for people who got on her bad side.

“How many times did I ask if you wanted me to get Cassandra to do it instead?”

Ellana rolled her eyes, looking away from Josephine.

“How many, Ellana?”

“…Five.”

“And how many times did you say, and I quote, ‘I can handle it, I’m Dalish, we’re good with trees’?”

“...Okay, okay. I see your point.” She finally got the star to stay in place and she let her arms fall back to her sides, ignoring the dull ache in her shoulder. “Is that good?”

“Yes, thank you.”

Ellana sighed in relief, slowly climbing down the ladder. When she got back down on the ground she was a bit dizzy, but she was careful not to be obvious about it.

“Okay, what’s next?”

Josephine pulled her phone out, pulling up her neatly organized planner app to look over the list.

“All that’s left to do is hang up the lights, but I’ve already asked Cullen to come over to help with that.” Josephine put her phone back into her pocket, looking up to scrutinize the elegantly decorated tree. “I think that’s all we can do for now.”

Ellana let out another relieved sigh, settling her hands on her hips. “Nice, because I’m getting lightheaded.”

Josephine frowned, putting a hand on Ellana’s back. “Why didn’t you say so? Come, I’ll make us something for lunch.”

Ellana let Josephine lead her into the kitchen, where she sat down in a stool at the island while Josephine went over to the pantry. She pulled out a bottle of wine and two glasses, bringing them back over to the counter.

“So,” She began, giving Ellana smile. “Dorian tells me there is a man.”

Ellana rolled her eyes and groaned exaggeratedly, taking the glass of red wine that Josephine handed over to her.

“There isn’t a man.”

“No? He seemed terribly certain. He said he’s very handsome. He said…” She flushed a bit, smiling. “He said many things about his bottom.”

Ellana snorted into her wine, imagining Dorian subjecting Josephine to a rant about Solas’ ass.

“He’s just an acquaintance. He adopted a dog a few days ago. I’ve seen him a handful of times, always in a work setting. It’s nothing!”

Josephine was leaning on the counter and sipping her wine, fixing Ellana with a gaze so focused and intent that it made her want to squirm.

“Look, really! It’s nothing. He’s hot, and I’m like… weirdly drawn to him, but it’s nothing. He’s super rich.”

Josephine sighed, standing up straight. She went over to the fridge and pulled it open, beginning to pull out ingredients for a salad and sandwiches.

“What has that got to do with anything? Is he interested?”

“What, should I just outright ask him? ‘Hi, I’d really like to see you naked and was wondering if you felt the same way about me’?” She took another sip of wine, shaking her head. “I can’t, he’s way out of my league. He said he works with you, actually.”

Josephine looked surprised at that, pulling a bowl out to assemble the salad in. “Oh? What’s his name?”

“Solas,” Ellana replied, and watched as Josephine stilled for a second. When she turned around, she was stifling giggles. “What? What is it? Is he gay? Is he married? Come on, tell me!”

“No, no,” Josephine assured her, bringing a hand up to cover her mouth. “I just… I understand now.”

“Understand what?”

“Dorian referred to your mystery man as… Well. As ‘hobo apostate chic’ and ‘grumpy with an expression like he’d just smelled something rotten’.”  She wasn’t even bothering to cover her giggles anymore, though she did turn back to the vegetables she was chopping. “I’m sorry. He _is_ grumpy very often, you must admit.”

Ellana huffed, looking away from the Antivan. “Okay, so other than the fact that he’s grumpy, do you know anything about him?”

“Well, he’s one of the leading scholars in ancient Elvhen history. He was conducting research for a private company before the university hired him a few years ago… He came on the year after you graduated, I think.”

Ellana pursed her lips, shaking her head. So not only financially out of her league, but intellectually out of her league as well. “Cool.”

“He isn’t very well liked by all of his colleagues, but he is respected,” Josephine continued, tossing the salad she’d prepared. “I’m sorry, I don’t know much else about him as a person.”

“Did you invite him to the party?” She asked, watching Josephine start working on the sandwiches.

“Of course, I invited the whole department. I doubt he will come, though. I have invited him a million events in the past and he never comes.”

Ellana hummed softly, taking another sip of wine. She decided it was all for the best if he didn’t show up. Now that his adoption of Fenlin was done, she could forget about him ever walking into her life and move on to someone more within her grasp. Even if she _was_ going to have a hard time not seeing his stupid freckled face every time she closed her eyes.

A few moments passed in companionable silence before Josephine brought the food and silverware over to the island and sat down on the stool next to Ellana.

“Are you going to ask him out?”

“No, don’t be ridiculous.” Ellana put some salad on her plate and stabbed at a slice of cucumber with her fork, popping it into her mouth. “He’s, like… super out of my league.”

Josephine took a sip of her wine, shaking her head. “Nonsense, he’s a man and you’re a pretty, well-educated and intelligent woman. You could have him if you put your mind to it.”

“Josie, the ceiling is _literally_ falling down in my shitty apartment, and he owns a whole fucking building. I haven’t been able to afford to pay myself in three months, and he _owns a whole fucking building_.”

“Are you having financial troubles? Why didn’t you tell me?” Josephine frowned, angling herself to look at Ellana. “If you need a place to stay…”

Ellana sighed, waving her off. “No, I’m alright. I’m behind on my rent, but I’ll find the money from somewhere.”

“There’s no shame in accepting help from your friends, Ellana. Maker knows you work harder than most, you deserve a break too.”

“Thank you, Josie, really. But I’ve got it.” She’d been exclusively eating when she was at her friends’ houses, but she’d be damned if she was going to be a burden on them. They all had enough problems of their own without her dumping hers on them too. Dorian was disowned and nearly as penniless as her, Varric was fulfilling the starving artist stereotype, Sera was living with four roommates… How could she take money from them when they were in as tight a squeeze as she was? “How are things with your family, speaking of money?”

Josephine pursed her lips, delicately picking up her sandwich. “Fine.”

“Uh oh.”

Josephine sighed, setting her sandwich down as quickly as she’d picked it up. “No improvement, but I remain hopeful that I’ll be able to get things back in order.”

“So you’re not taking Leliana up on her offer?”

“What, and let her blackmail and scheme until we come out on top?” Josephine shook her head, her expression pinched. “No, I will clean this mess up my way.”

Ellana nodded a bit, taking a sip of wine. “Well, I can respect that, at least. I hope it works out, and you know that if you need anything, I’ll do what I can.”

“I know. Thank you, truly.” She reached out to put a hand on Ellana’s arm, giving her a warm smile.

Ellana opened her mouth to respond but the sound of the doorbell cut her off.

Josephine picked up her napkin, wiping her mouth as she got to her feet. “That will probably be Cullen to help with the lights. Excuse me.”

Ellana nodded and started in on her sandwich while Josephine walked away, taking the moment alone to stuff as much food into her face as she could without Josephine seeing and getting suspicious.

She didn’t have long to eat, though, because as soon as she heard the door open there was a stampede of footsteps and excited shouting. She swallowed her mouthful of food and washed it down with a gulp of wine, getting to her feet and turning in time to see Dorian, Sera, Cassandra and Josephine rushing back into the room.

“Ellana, you have to see this, it was-“

“I came into the shelter this morning and it was just lying there on the floor!”

“Someone must have-“

“Open it already, Andraste’s bloody tits, you have to see how much-“

With all of them talking over each other Ellana had no idea what they were talking about, but Dorian shoved an envelope at her and they all quieted down, though they were still practically thrumming with energy.

“What’s going on? Someone explain calmly,” She requested, taking the envelope from Dorian’s outstretched hand.

Dorian took a breath, rocking on his heels.

“Sera opened this morning and found this on the floor with the other mail that had been put through the mail slot, so she stuck it on the counter and didn’t touch it again. Then me and Cassandra came in- on time, certainly not after having stopped for coffee.”

Ellana rolled her eyes, gesturing for him to continue.

“And, well, I’m nosey and it looked like a Satinalia card, so I opened it and… Well.” He gestured at the envelope, eyebrows raised. “Go on, then!”

Ellana huffed, shaking her head at the lot of them. She pulled the envelope open and looked inside, her heart jumping into her throat when she saw the contents.

A Satinalia card, featuring a puppy sitting under a decorated pine tree, and a thick wad of cash.

“How much…?”

“Five thousand!” Sera replied gleefully, clapping her hands together.

Ellana swallowed the lump in her throat, hands going a bit shaky as she pulled the card out and flipped it open. Aside from the pre-printed message, there was only one line of neatly penned text on the inside of the card.

_‘If the Dread Wolf does not appreciate your work in helping his ‘buddies’, I certainly do. May you help a thousand more. Happy Satinalia.’_

Ellana read the text over three times before she realized that Dorian was talking to her again, reaching out to hold onto her with both his hands on her upper arms.

“Ellana, did you hear me?”

“No, I… No. What?”

Dorian’s expression softened and he pulled her in close, and all Ellana could do was bury her face against his chest as her eyes started to sting and her throat burned. They had all been pitching in to keep the shelter up and running, but with this they could plan community events to get more dogs adopted and generate revenue for the shelter, she could pay her employees a decent check for Satinalia, and she could pay herself for the first time in months.

Dorian kissed the top of her head and she sniffed, pulling away to wipe at her eyes with the back of her hand.  

“So? Who did it?” Cassandra asked, glancing at the card. “A Dalish? They mention the Dread Wolf, isn’t that one of your gods?”

“I don’t know,” She lied, putting the card down to pick the envelope up and pull the money out. “Maybe it was Father Satinalia or whoever the fuck brings kids gifts, what does it matter? What matters is… Fuck, what matters is that we have to put it to good use. Every penny goes back into the shelter, yeah?”

She glanced around the room at their nodding heads, and let out a shaky breath. “Holy shit.”

Dorian laughed, reaching out to ruffle her curls. “Yes, I said much the same thing when I saw it… It’s obvious the first thing you need to do with it though, Ellana.”

Cassandra nodded in agreement, crossing her arms over her chest. “We have all been getting paid. Take whatever sum I know you were already planning on giving to us as a bonus, and take it for yourself.”

She opened her mouth to protest, and was immediately cut off by Sera.

“Don’t even try it, boss lady. Either you take the money the easy way, or I’ll hack into your bank account and do it myself.”

Ellana looked between them for a moment and then she was blinking away tears again, huffing at her own overactive emotions. She was so overwhelmed with gratitude for this group of people she could call her friends that all she could do was let herself be pulled into a hug by four sets of arms.

Whatever hardships she’d had to face on her path to getting there, however awful it was to have to hide who she was to live in the city, in that moment every trial and tribulation felt worth it for the chance to be alive with her friends on such a perfect afternoon.

“Alright,” She finally agreed, sniffing. “But you’re all going to let me take you out to dinner.”

There was a chorus of laughs and agreements, and as they migrated to the living room to discuss possible uses for the money and to call the other employees over, Ellana found that maybe she could understand the Satinalia spirit after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos & Comments are always appreciated!!!!


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was originally gonna be one massive chapter including the party, but it was getting too long so I had to break it up. Look forward to the Satinalia party & some drama in the next chapter! Enjoy!!

“Which bra are you wearing?”

“You can’t just ask people what bra they’re wearing, Dorian.”

Dorian moved the makeup compact he was holding up in front of his face to shoot Ellana a withering look, and then went right back to peering at his freshly manicured eyebrows in the compact’s mirror.

“Darling, I’ve seen literally every bra you own- not that there’s that many of them. I’m just trying to make sure if your man shows up and things get hot and heavy, you’re not wearing that atrocity with a wire poking out and fake blood stains from All Soul’s Day last year.”

Ellana rolled her eyes, looking over the spread of makeup on the floor between them. She picked up a pot of liquid eyeliner and rummaged through her brushes until she found the one she was looking for.

“No, I’m wearing the black one. With the lace.”

Dorian raised an eyebrow at her, smirking as he picked up a gold-flecked stick of eyeliner and turned his attention back to the mirror to begin applying it to his lash line.

“Not trying to impress anyone, you say?”

“Shut up,” She muttered, carefully drawing a neat black line across her eyelid, as tight to her lash line as she could get it. “I’m not expecting anything to happen. Just… you know….”

“Hopeful,” Dorian supplied for her, using his thumb to smudge out the corners of his eyeliner. “Well, I can’t blame you. How long has it been?”

“I don’t need a reminder.”

“Three years?”

She rolled her eyes, moving the mirror aside to look over at Dorian. “Are they even?”

Dorian paused long enough to lean in and scrutinize her eyes, finally giving her a nod. He reached over to his phone on the floor between them, which was playing music through the speaker. He tapped the screen and skipped through a few songs before he found the one he was looking for.

“Are you doing your lips?” He asked, grabbing his mascara and rolling the tube between his hands.

“I dunno, I don’t wanna look overdone. I’m wearing an ugly sweater, after all.” Ellana pursed her lips, looking at her face in her handheld mirror. “What do you think?”

“Nude,” Dorian suggested, blinking hard as he applied the mascara to his lashes. “Or you can borrow my mauve.”

Ellana hummed softly, reaching down into her sweater to pull out the mascara tube she’d stuck into her bra to warm up while she did the rest of her face. She unscrewed the top and applied it carefully to her long lashes, trying her best not to poke herself in the eye or ruin her eyeshadow with flecks of it.

“I’ll go mauve, I don’t have any nudes and yours won’t be the right shade for me.”

Dorian nodded absently, setting down his mirror. He waited patiently for Ellana to finish with her own mascara before he gestured a hand at his face, raising an eyebrow.

“Well?”

“Well, no one will mistake you for a straight man.”

“Excellent,” Dorian grinned, running his fingers through his neatly styled hair. “What are you doing with that mop on your head?”

Ellana shrugged, rummaging through Dorian’s pile of makeup before she found the gold tube of lipstick she was looking for. “I dunno, I’ll probably just put it up.”

Dorian huffed, shaking his head. “No. And come here, let me do that for you. You never make a clean line.”

Rolling her eyes, Ellana handed the lipstick back over to Dorian and moved the pile of makeup aside to shift closer until their knees were touching. Dorian opened the lipstick and held onto her jaw with one hand to hold her still. She parted her lips slightly to give him room to work, doing her best to stay perfectly still as he applied the sweet-smelling product to her lips.

“Don’t move,” He instructed, waving a hand at her mouth to dry the product. Finally, he nodded and let go of her chin, leaning back. “Let me do your hair.”

“Oh, Mythal fucking preserve me, why can’t I just put it in a bun or something?”

“You’re wearing fifty sovereign lipstick and you want to put your hair into a bun? No.” He shook his head, getting to his feet. “Just wait there.”  

Ellana sighed as she watched him get up and go into her bathroom. She could hear him rummaging through her cabinet for products, and she could only imagine what he had in mind for her.

“How are things with you and Cullen, by the way?” She asked, picking up the mirror to look at herself again. She had to admit that she looked nice, thanks to Dorian’s extensive range of expensive products and even more extensive knowledge on how to apply them.

“Oh, they’re good,” He replied, returning from the bathroom with an armful of her products, a curling wand, and a brush. “He hasn’t asked me to meet his family yet, so that’s good.”

“ _I’ve_ met his family,” Ellana argued, shaking her head at him as he set up behind her. “They’re really sweet, he introduced everyone to them. They’re really close, especially him and his sister. It’s pretty cute.”

Dorian made a noise of vague disgust, plugging her curling wand into an outlet on the wall behind them.

“We’re having fun, that’s all. And maker, for someone who’s as bashful and pious as he is, he certainly knows his way around the bedroom.” Ellana could practically hear him smirking. “The other night we went out for dinner, and when we came back we scarcely made it through the front door before he pinned me up against it.”

“Fuck,” Ellana laughed, trying not to squirm as Dorian started working product through her hair. “I would have pinned him as awkward and submissive in the bedroom.”

“Oh, no. Quite the opposite.”

“Well, damn. I should have snatched him up before you did.”

Dorian snorted, and Ellana had to bite her tongue to stop from whining as he started to brush through her curls. “Please, when’s the last time you were attracted to a human man? Never?”

“That’s not true!”

“Name one,” He challenged, working away at her hair. “Name one human man you’ve ever seriously considered sleeping with.”

She paused, racking her brain for a moment before she pursed her lips and reached back, swatting a hand at him.

“That’s what I thought,” Dorian chuckled, giving her hair a gentle tug. “And how lucky for me, otherwise you’d be drawing all the men away from me.”

“Yeah, because men are just falling over themselves to get close to me,” She rolled her eyes, inspecting her nails as she waited for Dorian to be finished torturing her poor scalp. “Just the other day I was complaining about all the love letters I get. It’s so exhausting to be so in demand.”

“Well, now you know how I feel all the time,” He teased, finally setting the brush aside. “Men just flinging themselves at me. And here I haven’t even done the dance of seven scarves for them yet.”

Ellana laughed, looking over her shoulder at him while he fiddled with the curling iron. “No, but really! I feel like you’ve got a new guy on your arm every week and I can’t make a guy _or_ girl look at me more than once a year.”

Dorian sighed, gently turning her head back around so he could start in with the curling wand. “Yes, well, maybe that has something to do with the fact that I at least attempt to have a life outside of work.”

“I have a life,” She argued, albeit weakly.

“Mmhm. I believe you. Really. Just last weekend you were going out, weren’t you? No, wait, you were watching Netflix in your underwear with a bottle of wine.”

“Shut up…”

“I’m not judging, Lana. But if you really wanted to find someone, you could come out with us for drinks sometime. I’m sure you could have plenty of sleazy guys tripping over themselves to buy drinks for you.”

Ellana sighed, lapsing into silence for a few minutes. She knew he was right, that if she went out to the club with them guys would be all over her. She’d done it before, but an hour of shem men eyeing her up like a piece of meat and talking to her like she was an object to fulfil their taboo elf fantasies was enough to fuel a lifetime worth of distrust for them. She’d take a few lonely nights over being used as a pair of tits and pointed ears any day.

“Okay,” Dorian finally said, setting her hair with hairspray and giving her a tap on the shoulder to let her know he was done.

She got slowly to her feet, hips popping after sitting cross-legged on the floor for so long. The sweater Dorian had lent to her for the party hung loose on her thin frame, falling nearly to mid-thigh over her black leggings. She smoothed it out and pulled the sleeves up, going into her bathroom to look in the bigger mirror. Dorian had managed to get her corkscrew curls to relax into looser ringlets, making them fall to the middle of her back with the added length. She tucked it back behind one ear and opened her medicine cabinet up, pulling out her small wooden jewelry box. She had a set of simple good hoops that she took out and put in her ears, lining four up each ear. It drew more attention to them and made them shimmer and jingle every time she turned her head, but if she couldn’t feel safe to be an elf among friends then when could she?

Satisfied that she looked as presentable as she was going to, she came back out of the bathroom and did a little twirl for Dorian. “So? Good?”

Dorian clapped his hands together, smiling as he saw the earrings she’d opted for.  “Peaches, if someone doesn’t take you home tonight I’ll take you home myself. You’ll outshine every other guest at the party, I’m sure there will be a number of jealous ladies plotting your downfall.”

She snorted and rolled her eyes, secretly pleased as always at his excessive praise. “You’ve been reading too many of Varric’s stories.”

“Perish the thought.”

“Alright, are you ready?” She looked Dorian over, noting how he had opted for a much classier sweater than the tacky snowman one she was wearing. His was black with gold and silver detailing, which complemented his skin tone and the gold in his eyeliner perfectly. As usual, she felt that she would look like the shabby younger sister next to him.

“Mm. We’d better get there before Josephine murders someone in her pre-party stress.” He grabbed his coat and tossed Ellana hers, the both of them quickly bundling up to brave the cold winter air. “Don’t you dare put a hat on, you’ll undo all my good work.”

Ellana rolled her eyes and tucked her chin into her scarf, linking elbows with him as she lead him out of her apartment and pulled the door firmly shut behind them.

“Yeah, because I’m not just gonna get drunk and smudge my makeup anyway.”

“Don’t you dare,” He threatened, pulling her close to his side as they headed down the hall and to the stairwell. “I’ll have to ban you from using my high end products.”

“Well, we can’t have that.”

“Indeed, imagine if you had to get married wearing your drugstore foundation.” He clucked his tongue, shaking his head. “Honestly. Why you think three sovereign mascara is acceptable…”

“I know, I know. I’m an embarrassment and I’m lucky you allow yourself to be seen in public with me.” She grinned, nudging him in the side with an elbow to make him squirm.

“Quite right. Though maybe it will be good for my image. ‘Oh, there goes that handsome, charming gentleman with his poor, fashion-challenged charity case. What a good man’.”

Ellana laughed, bumping her hip against his. “You bite your tongue! I can’t be blamed, it’s not like we get _Vogue_ on the reservation.”

Dorian hummed thoughtfully, before leaning over to plant a kiss on the top of her head.

“It’s alright, I love you even if you _do_ think it’s acceptable to wear sweatpants in public.”

“And I love you, even if you do think it’s necessary to do your hair to go to the grocery store.” She smiled sweetly up at him, bringing a hand up to pinch at his cheek, a move which he quickly predicted and evaded by leaning away.

“You’re so lucky I put up with you,” He huffed, though he was smiling as they pushed their way out of the building and into the parking lot.

“Oh, shut up. You love me _and_ my ratty sweatpants.”

Dorian shook his head fondly, leading her over to his car.

“Andraste help me, I do.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos & Comments are always appreciated!


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: There's sexual harassment in this chapter. It's very brief and nothing happens other than some derogatory language and predatory behavior, but if that sort of thing triggers you than stop reading at the end of Solas POV where it cuts to Ellana going outside. The exact line it switches on is "Solas took a deep breath and turned to move off the dance floor, in search of a drink and some clarity." I'll give you a brief recap of what happens plot-wise in the end notes, don't worry! 
> 
> Other than that, warning for general drunkenness and unresolved sexual tension. Enjoy!

By the time Dorian and Ellana arrived to Josephine’s large house, music was already bumping out the slightly ajar front door. Ellana pulled her phone from her purse to check the time, raising an eyebrow at Dorian. Any party that the lot of them attended together inevitably deteriorated to trashy music, drunk dancing, and regrettable decisions. But it wasn’t even ten PM yet, and the noise ordinance was already being violated.

When they pushed inside they could see why- Sera was playing DJ with her laptop on the kitchen counter, and at the classy wooden bar in the dining room, Bull was doling out large cups of an amber liquid. The house was packed with bodies, over half of them people Ellana had never seen before.

They made it two steps in the door before Josephine was pushing through people to get to them, looking like a frazzled mess. She had to lean in close to be heard over the music, shouting in Ellana’s ear.

“You have to help me! Sera invited her friends!”

Ellana raised an eyebrow, leaning back so she wouldn’t go deaf in one ear from Josephine’s yelling.

“Relax! I’m sure they’ll calm down. Have you had a drink?” She shrugged her coat off and hung it up along with her bag. She linked elbows with Josephine and lead her into the dining room, where the alcohol was being served. “I gotta admit, I thought the party was gonna be stuffier than this!”

Josephine gave a huff, shooting Ellana a long-suffering look. “It was supposed to be. My colleagues are here, Ellana!”

Ellana shrugged, pulling her up to the bar. Bull gave a loud greeting she couldn’t quite understand and reached over to clap a massive hand on her shoulder, grinning wide.

“Boss! What can I get for you? No, no, don’t tell me. I’ll give you some of the good stuff.”

“The good stuff?” She questioned, fanning her face with a hand. They’d only been inside a few minutes, but already she was getting too hot in her sweater. “Is this shit gonna kill me, Bull?”

Bull laughed his booming laugh and shoved a cup into Ellana’s hands, making the liquid slosh onto the counter a bit. He gave one to Josephine as well, giving her a pat on the top of her head.

“Down the hatch, ladies. The night is still young.”

Ellana laughed, leaning over to Josephine’s ear to be heard. “I’ll keep an eye on Sera’s friends and make sure they don’t break anything, don’t worry. Have some fun, Josie!”

With a sigh, the Antivan lifted the cup to her lips and downed it all in one go. She was hacking up a lung as soon as she swallowed the last of it, eyes watering. Bull still gave his uproarious approval, slapping a hand down on the bar.

“That’s what I’m talking about! You want another?”

“Maker, no,” Josephine sniffed, wiping at her eyes. “No. Absolutely not. Stop poisoning my guests.” She straightened her skirt out and turned on her heels, marching away from them.

Ellana snorted, taking a sip of her drink. It burned like the void going down her throat but she held back a cough, shouting over to Bull that she was going to take a lap and see who else was there. He waved her off and went back to making drinks, so Ellana pushed her way out of the dining room and back into the large living space and conjoined kitchen, where the lights had been dimmed or covered with blankets, and people were dancing.

So maybe Josephine was right to be as upset as she was over all of this happening, especially if any of the colleagues she’d invited were still sticking around. But her seat at the university was as secure as anyone’s could be, and if anyone went to the president of the university with a complaint about her because she threw a party, half the town would be up in arms at her defense. Ellana decided it wasn’t her problem to deal with and took another gulp of her drink, wishing she’d eaten something for dinner before she got there.

She migrated through the living room and towards the kitchen, waving at Sera. She hadn’t spotted Solas, not that she was expecting him to be at an event like this anyway. Still, some part of her had hoped for… Well, she didn’t know what, but for something.

Sera squealed and waved her over, finishing off her own drink.

“Ellie! Come on, let’s go dance!” She moved her laptop off her lap and set it on the counter, grabbing a guy by the back of his shirt to pull him over. It wasn’t until he turned around that Ellana realized who he was. “Krem, man the DJ station.”

“Yes, ma’am,” He gave her a mock-salute and leaned over the counter as Sera hopped down.

“Hey, is your guy here?” Sera asked, grabbing Ellana’s hand by the wrist to guide her hand and cup up to her mouth, encouraging her to finish it off.

Ellana managed to chug the rest of her drink without choking and put the empty cup on the counter, coughing into her hand as Sera took the free one and dragged her onto the makeshift dance floor.

“No, I don’t think so,” She finally replied, as Sera turned to face her.

The blonde elf wrapped her arms around Ellana’s middle, grinning as Ellana draped her arms over Sera’s shoulders.

“Fuck him, who needs men anyway?”

Ellana laughed, moving her hips in rhythm with the music.

“Yeah, I’m _trying_ to fuck him, that’s the point.”

“Ugh, enough talking about his stupid grumpy face.” She gave Ellana a wicked grin and slid her hands on Ellana’s back down, grabbing her ass through the thick fabric of her sweater. “Shut up and dance with me, yeah?”

The drink she’d chugged was already making her feel warm and pleasantly fuzzy, and she wasn’t about to let some guy who wasn’t even there ruin her night. So she laughed and nodded and let Sera take the lead.

The song had just faded out when Sera leaned in close to her ear to be heard.

“Hey, you wanna go get another drink?”

“Yeah,” Ellana called back, taking her hand to let Sera lead her back through the crowd. Sera indicated for her to wait in the kitchen while she went to get the drinks, so Ellana hopped up onto the counter next to where Krem was set up with the laptop

“Hey,” Krem greeted, giving her a dimpled smile. “Aren’t you hot?”

“Fuck, yeah, it’s so hot in here right?” She laughed, leaning back on her hands and tipping her head back to get her hair off her neck.

“Do you want to borrow a shirt to change? Josephine pro’lly has something.”

Ellana hummed, shaking her head. “I’ve got a tank top on under here.”

“Fuck, then what are you doing?” Krem laughed, shaking his head. “Take it off.”

“If you’re trying to get into my pants, you’re not being very discreet about it.” Ellana grinned over at him, knocking his elbow with her knee.

Krem laughed at that, his head falling back with it. He hopped up onto the counter next to her and set the laptop aside, knocking their knees together.

“Yeah, so what if I am?”

Ellana’s eyebrows shot up, and she found herself in the limbo of ‘is this friendly banter, or are we really flirting?’

Before she had to find an answer, Sera returned and shoved a drink into her hands, holding one of her own.

“You better not be trying to steal my girl, Kremmy!” She shouted, while Ellana took a deep pull of her own drink. “Come on, let’s go dance!”

Ellana laughed, quickly taking another deep sip of her drink. She hopped down off the counter and set her drink down for a moment, catching Krem’s eyes for a beat. She grinned then, and slowly peeled her sweater up off her head, leaving her in the crop-cut tank top and leggings she’d put on under the sweater. She tossed the sweater at him and just caught the dopey grin on his flushed face as Sera dragged her away.

Even if she wasn’t going to act on it, she couldn’t deny that it was nice to be desired sometimes.

 

**********************************

 

It was eleven when Solas lost the internal battle with himself on the issue of the party. He decided that he’d drive over, and if it didn’t look like it was still going on, he would just drive right back home and forget about it.

When he’d arrived, however, it was clear that whatever was happening was still very much in full swing. Music was blaring from the house and the party had spilled out onto the front lawn with people standing around and talking. He parked his car as close as he could get it to the house and walked up, walking through the open front door without knocking. People were packing into the house like sardines and the air was thick with the sickly sweet smell of alcohol, and Solas almost turned and walked right back out. He liked to think he would have, if he hadn’t seen her from across the room. As soon as he laid eyes on her, though, whatever capacity for rational thought he had went out the window.

He’d only ever seen Ellana in baggy work shirts and jeans, usually smudged with dirt and covered in dog fur, and even then she had been the most beautiful person he’d ever seen. But this, this was just unfair. Solas swallowed the lump in his throat, pushing further into the room.

She was dancing near the edge of the makeshift dance floor, eyes closed and lost in the music as she moved fluidly to the beat of the song vibrating through the floor boards. Her leggings clung to her legs like a second skin and he could see the exact shape of her thighs, as well as the curve of her ass, so graciously being displayed for him.

He licked his lips and tried to kickstart his brain to remember how to move or speak, but then she turned slightly and he could see the expanse of her toned stomach and the dip of her cleavage into her shirt, and he thought he was going to absolutely catch fire and die.

Her eyes open and she scanned the room for a moment, and before he had to common sense to look away her eyes were on him and her face was flushing red.

Solas swallowed thickly and wiped his palms off on his jeans, suddenly feeling uncomfortably warm, and started making his way over to her.

“Solas!” She greeted, fidgeting with her top as he walked over. “I didn’t think you’d come.”

He had to lean in to hear her and that certainly wasn’t helping.

“I wasn’t sure I was going to either,” He replied.

“What?”

“I said…” He sighed, leaning in closer. “Do you want to dance?”

He pulled back in time to see her grin and nod, holding her hands out to him. He looked down at them for a moment, considering how viable an option it was to turn and run. Her arms were bare and he could trace the intricate vines and branches of her vallaslin all the way up them, across her collarbone and dipping down her stomach to disappear at her hips into her leggings.

“Solas?”

He blinked, dragging his eyes back up her body to look at her. He shook his head like that was going to clear the fog that had settled there, and he took her hands, letting himself be lead deeper into the crowd of moving bodies. She turned back to him once she’d found a suitable spot, draping her arms over his shoulders.

Solas took a shaky breath, settling his hands at her sides. Her skin was warm and soft under his, and send a jolt up his arms like the universe was trying to tell him not to do this.

But then she was moving her hips in beat to the music and he couldn’t possibly fathom walking away from her.

He pulled her closer and let her movements dictate his. The music wasn’t really his speed and he didn’t really make a habit of club dancing, but he could have been convinced to do anything for Ellana in that moment.

Perhaps sensing his awkwardness, Ellana laughed and spun around so her back was to him. She put her hands over his and pushed them down a bit to her hips. Solas felt his mouth go dry. With his hands situated Ellana let them go, using her own to pull her hair off to one side and off her back. She pressed her ass back against Solas and he saw stars, too far gone to be embarrassed at how quickly this woman was absolutely demolishing his willpower.

He slid one hand over her stomach to feel her skin under his hand before settling it back at her hip, letting her swing her hips and grind back against him. He ducked his head and let his lips ghost against her exposed neck, feeling like a man possessed.

Then, there was a burst of static, and the music cut out.

And just like that, the moment was over. Ellana stepped away from him and Solas scrubbed a hand down his face, willing himself to get himself together.

“Sorry, fuck, hang on!” Someone was yelling from the kitchen, and another beat passed in silence before the music picked up again.

Solas looked at Ellana but before he could speak to ask if she was okay, she was leaning in to say something.

“I need some air,” She said, gesturing at the glass doors leading out to the back yard. “I’ll be right back.”

“Oh,” Was all Solas could think to say in response, but it seemed to be enough for her, because she turned and wove through the crowd to get to the door.

Solas took a deep breath and turned to move off the dance floor, in search of a drink and some clarity.

 

*********************************

 

Ellana had all but cut her losses and moved on when Solas walked in, and just like that she was pulled into his orbit again. His skin shone like bronze in the dim light and his eyes were as piercing as ice, and fuck, she didn’t know what she was going to do.

Maybe she could just fuck him, she rationalized, as she pushed through people to get to the doors. Just fuck him and get it out of her system, and move on.

Like she wasn’t already secretly fantasizing about their domestic life together.

Swearing, she finally pushed out to the back yard, grateful for the cold wind that served to sober her up a bit and made the world stop spinning quite so fast. She ran a hand through her head and walked over to the side of the house, leaning back against the brick wall to catch her breath, closing her eyes against the blinking fairy lights strung up in the trees. A few other people were loitering out there, smoking or chatting, but she didn’t pay them any mind.

Or she tried not to, anyway.

“Hey, beautiful,” Ellana opened her eyes to see the human man walking up to her, all yellowed teeth and cigarette smoke as he put a hand on the wall next to her head and leaned into her personal space. “What’s a pretty thing like you doing out here alone?”

Ellana frowned, leaning back until she was flush against the wall to put some space between them.

“Fuck off, not interested.”

“That’s not any way for a pretty lady like you to be talking now, is it?” His smile turned cruel and he brought a calloused hand up, tucking her hair behind an ear. “Even if you are a knife-ear bitch.”

Ellana felt bile rise in her throat and she put a hand on his chest, trying to shove him back. “I said fuck off already.”

“So it’s gonna be like that, huh?” He stepped in closer, effectively pinning her against the brick. She wasn’t weak, but he was twice her size easily, and she couldn’t see straight to find an opening to slip away. “You’re gonna be singing a different tune real quick, baby.”

She spit at him then, and immediately wished she’d just held her tongue and waited for someone to see what was happening and step in. He looked shocked for a moment as he wiped the spit from his cheek. But as soon as the shock wore off it was replaced with anger and his hands were flying to her neck, wrapping around it to shove her hard against the wall.

Ellana could taste the magic before she felt it, like metal and ice on her tongue as it surged through her body. It hurt when it left her, unfocused without a staff, raw and pure electricity that was arcing off her skin and into the air so bright it hurt her own eyes.

She could feel it draining her but she couldn’t make it stop, even when the man was screaming and scrambling back, even when the edges of her vision were going dark.

The last thing she remembered was tasting her own blood before her knees buckled and she hit the ground hard.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, brief recap of the last couple paragraphs- Ellana goes outside to get some air and a creepy guy corners her. Her gut instinct kicks in and she uses her magic against him, and she's super out of practice and untrained so it drains her and she blacks out. That's it! 
> 
> Comments and Kudos always appreciated!


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm a little nervous about this one, so please let me know what you think in the comments!!
> 
> Warning for sort of gross descriptions of burn injuries, and other injury-related description.   
> Enjoy!

Solas hadn’t even made it to the kitchen before he felt it. For a split second the air was saturated with magic, making his hair stand on end as it danced across his skin like lightning.

Then, there was a deafening pop and the power went out. The shocked silence that followed the bang allowed them all to hear with perfect clarity the shrill screams that were coming from somewhere outside.

Swearing, Solas shoved through the crowd on the dance floor frantically, trying to get through the chaos that was erupting to get outside and make sure Ellana wasn’t involved in whatever was going on. People were rushing for the front door and the panicked shouts from the party guests had drowned out whoever had been screaming in horror only seconds earlier.

Finally, Solas broke through the crowd and shouldered out onto the back patio. The magic was thicker out there, permeating the air so thickly he could taste it like rust and blood on his tongue every time he breathed in.

A woman was running from the side of the house in near hysterics, knocking shoulders hard with Solas on her way back into the house. From the back door, Josephine and the large qunari who had been making drinks ran out, trailed more slowly by Dorian.

“I can’t find her,” Dorian was saying, and Solas had to take a deep breath to swallow down the irrational fear that was building in his chest.

Solas didn’t stop to speak with them, he just turned and took off at a run in the direction the hysterical woman had come from.

He only just made it around the corner before he was digging his heels into the ground, grinding to a halt.

A man was badly burnt on the ground, keening loudly and clutching at his singed face. The fabric of his shirt was melted into his skin at spots and he was bleeding onto the grass, but that wasn’t what made Solas’ blood run cold.

Slumped against the brick wall of the house at an awkward angle with blood dripping from her nose and mouth was Ellana, limp and pale.

A gasp from behind him snapped Solas out of it as Josephine shoved past him to run to Ellana’s side, Dorian following hot on her heels. The qunari went to check on the burnt man, nudging him with the toe of his boot. Solas watched him swear and shake his head, mumbling something about calling an ambulance as he pulled his phone from his pocket.

“Kaffas, why didn’t I specialize in healing?” Dorian put shaking fingers to Ellana’s throat to feel for a pulse, while Josephine looked like she was trying not to be sick.

Solas squared his shoulders and put his game face on, walking quickly up to Ellana’s side to crouch down. He held a hand up for Dorian to see, the air around it shifting and humming with his magic.

“Let me help,” He requested, waiting for a response from the man before he did anything. Dorian had a wild look in his eyes and even if Solas knew he was a stronger mage than the Tevene man, he didn’t particularly fancy a fight while Ellana was lying on the ground an inch from death.

Finally, Dorian nodded and Solas put a hand on Ellana’s chest, just over her sternum. He sucked in a breath and shook his head, a move he realized was a mistake when Josephine responded by demanding to know what was wrong in shrill tones, and Dorian went ashy and pale.

Solas swallowed thickly and shook his head again, holding up his free hand to indicate that they needed to be quiet. Ellana was still alive, though not by much. Her pulse was thready and too fast, and she had exhausted herself to the point that her body was shutting down non-vital functions to conserve energy to stay alive.

He didn’t see what choice he had. If he didn’t do something she wasn’t going to live, but there was a chance her body wouldn’t be able to handle what he was about to do anyway.

Solas took a breath, finally speaking.

“I’m going to lend her some of my mana to keep her going until we can get her to the hospital. Has someone called an ambulance?”

“Lend her mana? Is that even possible?” Dorian demanded, eyes narrowing. “Ellana isn’t even a mage, what good would it do?”

Solas’ head snapped up at that to level a disbelieving look at Dorian. “You didn’t know?”

Dorian blinked stupidly at Solas but offered no other answer, so Solas huffed and turned his attention back down to Ellana. He settled his other hand on her arm and dug deep into his own reserves, slowly beginning to pour his magic into healing her exhausted body.

Under his hands, Ellana showed no change. He pushed himself to the edge, pouring as much of his magic into her system as he thought she could handle without tearing her apart from the inside out. Still, she didn’t so much as move under him.

He swore, pulling his hands away. Desperately, he took her hand in both of his.

“Ellana, _sathan. Tel’vara, sathan._ ” He made one last effort, pushing hard with his magic into her. “ _Sathan, lethallin.”_

Between his own hands her hand grew hot enough that he had to drop it, sucking in a breath through his teeth. Under her skin her veins glowed green and the light shone through the bumpy scar in her palm, so bright that they all had to look away.

“What have you done?” Dorian was shouting, reaching out to put a hand on Ellana’s shoulder. He was knocked back immediately, falling hard back onto the cold ground when Ellana’s skin flared brighter than ever.

Solas could feel the air warping and pulling thin around her, threatening to tear the fabric between the waking world and the fade. For a horrible, sickening moment, he thought that maybe it would.

And then, with a crackling pop, the light went out and the pull of magic ceased. In the sudden dark they all had to blink hard to adjust their eyes.

“What the fuck was that?” Dorian asked, wiping mud from his trousers. “What the fuck did you do to her?”

“I don’t know,” Solas admitted, wiping his own palms against his jeans.

From down the street, the wailing sound of sirens slowly drew closer. Solas got slowly to his feet and felt the world spin around him, threatening to knock him down again. He put a hand on the brick of the house to steady himself, taking a deep breath.

The paramedics were going to have enough work on their hands without Solas blacking out as well.

 

**************************

 

Ellana woke up to a steady beeping, the burning scent of rubbing alcohol, and too-white walls. She blinked against the light and tried to bring a hand up to rub at her eyes, but she quickly discovered that her hands were strapped down to the bed.

She swallowed, her throat feeling raw and dry like she’d swallowed sand.

“Oh, Andraste be fucking praised, she’s awake.”

Ellana blinked and sluggishly turned her head to find Dorian looking a bit frumpy and tired, jumping out of a chair pushed up against the wall. Next to her was Cassandra, wearing her work uniform and looking grim.

Dorian knelt down at her bedside and put a hand on her arm, bringing his free one up to push her hair off her face.

“How are you feeling, darling? Do you know what happened?”

Ellana tried to swallow again and only wound up making herself cough.

“Kaffas, right, let me get you something to drink. Hold on. The others will want to know you’re awake, anyway.”

Dorian got to his feet again and left the room, a blur in Ellana’s fuzzy vision. She blinked hard to try to clear it, but wasn’t having much success.

“Do you know where you are, Ellana?” Cassandra spoke then, slowly walking up to the side of her bed. “Nod if you do.”

Ellana nodded, finding that her head felt like it was full of cotton.

Cassandra seemed pleased at that, folding her arms over her chest. “Do you remember how you got here?”

Ellana paused, thinking back. She remembered going to the party. She remembered dancing, she remembered going outside. She remembered-

The beeping from the monitor next to her bed sped up and Ellana tugged against her restraints, suddenly feeling like she couldn’t breathe.

Cassandra frowned, hands fidgeting like she didn’t know what to do with them. “Ellana, calm down. It’s alright, you’re safe now. Breathe.”

The door to her room pushed open and Dorian came back in with a cup of water, frowning as he saw the panic in Ellana’s eyes.

“I thought we agreed no questioning until we know she’s alright?” He shooed Cassandra away, sitting on the edge of Ellana’s bed to hold the cup up to her lips. “Ignore Cassandra, whatever she said. I’m here now, I won’t let anything happen to you, peaches. I promise.”

Ellana took a sip of the water, feeling it run cold down to her stomach. She turned her head to indicate that she was done, and Dorian set the cup onto the nightstand.

“Now, how are you feeling?” He asked, wiping a drop of water from her chin.

Ellana cleared her throat, struggling to find her voice. “Why am I…?” She looked down at the restraints and then back up at Dorian, watching his expression sour.

“Yes. A safety precaution, apparently. You tried to punch your doctor.”

“I _what_?”

“Well, you didn’t _actually_ punch him, because your aim was way off. But you still tried, so… So here you are,” He sighed, waving a hand at the restraints.

Ellana sighed, letting her head fall back against the pillows again. “They hurt.”

Dorian frowned, looking back at Cassandra.

“I’ll see what I can do,” Cassandra promised, ducking out of the room.

“What happened, Ellana? Can you remember?” Dorian asked softly, not bothering to disguise the concern on his face.

Ellana took a breath, letting her eyes slide shut. “I was… I went outside, at the party. For some air.”

“Then what happened?” He pressed.

“There was, um…. This guy. He…” She frowned, lifting her chin up to bare her throat.

Dorian sucked in a breath and Ellana opened her eyes to find him staring at her neck.

“So he was telling the truth, he’s how that happened.”

“How what happened?”

“The bruises, around your throat.” Dorian brought a hand up to his own throat, to point out were they were.

Ellana had to look away, nausea rolling over her. “Anyway. I don’t know what happened then. Everything went black.”

Dorian sighed, scrubbing a hand down his face. “Well, you did magic, for starters.”

“Fuck,” Ellana sighed, gritting her teeth. “Fuck! The guy, is he…?”

“Dead? Unfortunately, no. He does have terrible burns all over his body, though… The police need to talk to you, as soon as you’re feeling up to it.”

Ellana swallowed the lump in her throat, trying not to panic. The mage always got blamed in cases like this, and the fact that she was an elf and he was a human sure as the void wasn’t going to help her case.

“I can’t afford a lawyer.”

“What? No, no, you’re not in trouble.”

“What?”

“Well-…. Cassandra had a few words, with the man,” Dorian pursed his lips, shrugging. “After Bull, Krem, Sera, and Varric had already spoken to him. And myself, of course. Oh, and Solas, can’t forget that one. He scared even _me_. I can’t be sure which one of us intimidated him the most, but he’s not pressing charges.”

“Then why the police…?”

Dorian sighed, shaking his head. “Cassandra tried to find a way around it, but they need to write up a report about the incident, since more than one person called them that night to report it.”

Ellana nodded, glancing up as Cassandra came back into the room with a nurse- an Elven woman with a kind smile on her face.

“Good morning, Miss Lavellan! You gave us all a scare for a while there. Can you just answer a few questions for me?”

“Can you take these off?” Ellana asked instead of replying, tugging on her restraints.

“I’m gonna get to that just as soon as we do an evaluation to make sure you’re not a danger to yourself or others.”

Ellana huffed and nodded, letting her eyes slide shut again. Her eyelids were getting heavy and holding her head up felt like too much effort. “Okay. Go ahead.”

She felt like she was underwater as the nurse started asking her questions from a list on her clipboard, pen scratching against it as Ellana answered.

Finally, her voice drifted away. Cold hands against her skin woke Ellana up again a beat after she’d drifted off, and she opened her eyes to see the nurse undoing the straps that were keeping her arms against the bed.

She mumbled her thanks and settled back against the pillow, rubbing at her own wrists to soothe the irritated skin there.

“Better?” Dorian asked, taking one of her hands to lace their fingers together.

“Yeah,” Ellana sighed, fighting to keep her eyes open. “Thanks. Hey, you said… You said Solas, he talked to the guy? Why was he here?”

Dorian gave her hand a squeeze, humming. “I’ll tell you when you’re more with it. For now, get some sleep, peaches. I’m right here, I’ll keep you safe.”

“Thanks, Dorian.”

“Of course, darling.” He leaned in to press a kiss against her forehead, and Ellana drifted off to the warmth of his hand on hers and the familiar scent of sweet cinnamon and summer heat filling her head.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Elven translations courtesy of FenxShiral and Project Elvhen. 
> 
> Sathan- please  
> Tel'vara- don't go
> 
> Comments & kudos always appreciated!!


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PLEASE NOTE that the rating has moved to explicit!! There is explicit sexual content in this chapter! If that isn't your cup of tea, you can stop reading when the POV jumps to Solas without missing anything pivotal to the plot, I promise.   
> Let me know what you guys think! Enjoy!!

“Maybe I should get my septum pierced.”

“Mm, it would look good on you, probably. Everything looks good on you.” Ellana glanced up from the stack of magazines Dorian had brought in to her hospital room to look at the man himself, who was sitting cross-legged at the foot of her bed. “Gold looks nice on your skin tone.”

Dorian hummed, flipping the page of his magazine. “I know. When you get out of here, we’ll go together. You wanted to get your bellybutton, didn’t you?”

Ellana sighed, shrugging. “I did, but I dunno…. It seems a little high-school to me.”

Dorian rolled his eyes, looking up from the page he was reading on the newest trends out of Val Royeaux.

“Sweetheart, it’s _your_ body, you’re allowed to do whatever you want with it. Who cares what other people think. You have a nice stomach, you could do with showing it off more.”

“I’m too old for that.” Ellana carefully reached over to the bedside table to pick up one of the boxes of chocolates Dorian had brought in.

Dorian scoffed, flipping the page again. “You’re twenty-five, Ell. You’re young enough to have a bloody belly button ring and wear crop tops if you want.”

Ellana hummed softly, opening up the box. She picked up a piece that indicated it was dark chocolate with chili powder. She popped it into her mouth and chewed thoughtfully, letting the chocolate melt over her tongue.

“I dunno, I’ll go with you and we’ll see.”

“Bet it would make Solas’ brain melt right out of his head…”

“Shut up,” Ellana laughed, lobbing a piece of chocolate over at him.

He caught it out of the air, grinning at her. “What? I’m just saying! He hasn’t shut up about you since the party, and it’s been even worse now that you’re awake. So that’s…. What, a full week? He’s been texting Josephine constantly to see how you’re doing.”

“Shut up…”

“No, I’m serious!” Dorian held a hand over his chest, looking over at her. “Cross my heart and hope to die. Ask her, she’s about ready to throttle him.”

“He has my number, why isn’t he just texting _me_?” Ellana picked her phone up off the bed and tapped the screen, checking that she hadn’t received any messages.

“Maker, who knows. He seems like such an odd duck, I have no idea why you’re so smitten with him.” Dorian shrugged, eating the square of chocolate Ellana had thrown at him. “So in other news…”

“Other news?” She pressed, raising an eyebrow.

“Cullen wants me to meet his family.”

Ellana squealed, clapping her hands together. “That’s great! Tell me you didn’t break that poor boys heart, Dorian, or Mythal fucking help me, I’ll end you.”

Dorian rolled his eyes, setting his magazine aside entirely. “I didn’t break anything. I told him I would think about it.”

“Well, have you two like…. Talked about what you are to each other?”

Dorian sighed, shaking his head. “He keeps trying to bring it up.”

Ellana frowned, stretching one leg out to nudge him with her toes. “Then what’s the issue? Don’t you like him?”

“Quite the opposite, I’m afraid. I hold him very dearly.”

“Well don’t say it like that, like you’ve just found out you have the fucking blight. It’s good news!”

Dorian shot her a withering look, and then turned his attention to inspecting his nails. “You’ve met Cullen.”

“Yes?”

“He’s a good man. Strong and sweet and caring. He deserves-“

“Holy shit, Dorian, if you utter the phrase ‘he deserves better’, I’m going to strangle you.” Ellana kicked his leg halfheartedly, too weak to do much more than jostle him. “ _You’re_ a good man, Dorian Pavus.”

Dorian scoffed, brushing it off with a wave of his hand.

“No, don’t give me that shit. You’re a good person, you deserve someone like Cullen and he deserves someone like you. Stop being such a fucking wimp and tell him you want to be boyfriends.”

Dorian stared at the blankets on the bed for a moment, before finally he huffed and shook his head.

“You’re so cruel to me, darling.”

“It’s called tough love, you need it sometimes.”

“Fine, I’ll make you a deal,” Dorian offered, taking his phone out. “I’ll text Cullen and tell him, if you text Solas and tell him how much you want to suck his dick.”

Ellana kicked at him again, feeling her face heat up. “You’re ridiculous.”

Dorian laughed, shrugging. “Okay, okay. You have to text Solas and say…. Oh, I don’t know. That you were thinking about when you danced together.”

He waggled his eyebrows at her and waited expectantly, while Ellana felt her stomach tying itself into knots.

“Mythal preserve me. Fine! But only because I care about you and your relationship with Cullen.”

“Mmhm. It has nothing to do with wanting to suck his dick.”

“Absolutely not.” Ellana sniffed, tapping the screen of her phone again. “You send yours first, and then show me so I know you’re not bullshitting.”

Dorian rolled his eyes and tapped out a message on his own phone. After a few moments he held the screen out to Ellana, letting her read it over.

_I want to talk about us. I’ll meet your family, but only once we figure out what we are to each other. –DP_

Ellana hummed, satisfied, and watched Dorian lock the phone and drop it onto the bed. “Your move, angel.”

Sighing, Ellana pulled up her messages, and navigated into the conversation thread with Solas’ name at the top. Hesitantly, she began to type out a message.

_Dorian told me you’ve been asking about me. –EL_

She showed it to Dorian, who scoffed. “That wasn’t the deal.”

“Well I can’t just lead with ‘I was thinking about that time I was drunk and grinded up on you’!”

“Why not? It’s direct and to the point, he’ll know what you want from him.” Dorian shrugged, eyes cutting down at his phone buzzed.

“From Cullen?” Ellana raised an eyebrow, watching him read the message. “What does it say?”

Dorian took a breath, reading it out. “’I want to talk about it too, how about we get together in a few days? Happy satinalia, by the way’.”

“Oh shit, is it Satinalia?”

Dorian hummed and nodded, looking up. “You weren’t aware?”

“What are you doing here, then? You should be… I don’t know, doing Satinalia-y things. Going to a chantry service and singing cheezy songs or whatever it is you do.”

Rolling his eyes, Dorian chuckled and shook his head. “Satinalia is for people with families.”

Ellana frowned, nudging his leg with her foot once more. “You do have family, dummy.”

“Yes, and here I am with the only person I count as family. That’s what the spirit of the holiday is about anyway, spending time with loved ones.” He looked away and waved a hand absently, but Ellana noticed the way he was blinking hard. “Anyway, I know that a few more people are planning on bringing you some dinner to have a makeshift celebration here tonight.”

“Tell them they don’t have to do that, I don’t even celebrate.”

“Well, as I said, it’s about being with your loved ones, and we all love you. Even if you are a secret mage who didn’t tell us about it for the entire six years I’ve known you.”

“Oh, I thought we were done being passive-aggressive about that.”

Dorian sniffed and lifted his chin a bit, shrugging.

Ellana rolled her eyes, looking down as her phone buzzed.

_Yes. I was concerned. It was, admittedly, terrifying to find you in that state that night. –S_

Ellana showed the screen to Dorian, who only scoffed.

“He acts like your boyfriend already. Maker, just fuck him already.”

“Hush.”

_That’s sweet of you. I’m doing okay. Still a little weak and out of it sometimes, and something weird is going on with my arm. I only started being able to stay awake for more than an hour at a time like two days ago. –EL_

_But they said if I keep improving, I’ll be home within the next week. So that’s good! –EL_

“I think I need some coffee,” Dorian decided, swinging his legs off the bed. “Do you want anything, darling?”

“Mm, no caffeine, remember?” She gestured vaguely at her heart monitor, wrinkling her nose. “Get me a hot chocolate?”

“Of course. Be back in a minute.” He got to his feet and leaned over to plant a kiss on her cheek, and then he ducked out of the room.

In her hand, her phone buzzed again.

_What is wrong with your arm? –S_

_I don’t know, it occasionally hurts pretty bad and keeps sending off weird magical energy that keeps fucking up the machines in my room. –EL_

She barely had to wait thirty seconds before a reply came through.

_Weird magical energy? Weird how? –S_

_It doesn’t feel like my own magic. I don’t know. –EL_

_They said you had to do magic on me to keep me alive. Do you think that could have something to do with it? –EL_

_And thanks for the whole saving my life thing, btw. –EL_

She read over her own messages and huffed, annoyed that even when she wasn’t with him in person, she still managed to vomit words like an idiot.

_Perhaps. When you get discharged, I would very much like to see you. –S_

A second later, another text came through.

_To inspect your arm. –S_

Ellana chewed at the inside of her cheek for a moment, shaking her head. She couldn’t get a read on him no matter how hard she tried. Maybe it was the pain medicine they were pumping her system full of, but she decided that she didn’t have anything to lose.

_You can see me any time. –EL_

_I’m starting to remember that night more clearly. –EL_

_That is good. –S_

Ellana took a breath, held it, and typed out her reply.

_I remember dancing with you. –EL_

 

 

************************

 

 

Solas nearly felt himself twitch when his phone buzzed against his desk again.

_I remember you getting pretty handsy ;P –EL_

Swallowing the lump in his throat, Solas locked the screen on his phone and dragged a hand down his face. He wasn’t going to be finished the grading he needed to get done, it seemed. He sat back in his chair, rubbing at his temples to try to relieve some of the tension in his head.

Ellana seemed to have retained some of his magic, and even if she survived the initial contact, the magic could be eating her alive for all he knew. Whatever happened to her from then on, it was his responsibility.

On his desk, his phone buzzed again, reminding him of his unread messages.

“ _Fenedhis,_ ” He sighed, picking his phone up to unlock it and tap out a reply.

_If I was too forward, I apologize. I was carried away and you were very persuasive. –S_

There. That should have put a stop to it, informed her to politely back off from whatever point she was trying to make. He was just hoping that he could get through the day without thinking about her body pressed against his again. She was in the hospital after all, it was wrong on so many levels it made him feel a bit sick.

And yet…

_Not at all. I enjoyed it. And it definitely felt like YOU were enjoying it ;P –EL_

Solas let out a huff of laughter, dragging a hand down his face once more. This girl was playing with fire, and she didn’t even seem to know it. He took a deep breath, deciding to put an end to the discussion. She was likely hopped up on pain medications and exhausted, she wasn’t in a right state of mind to be flirting so openly. And wasn’t there some sort of psychological disorder involved with inadvertently falling in love with someone just because they had saved your life? No, he would put an end to it.

_It was unprofessional and inappropriate. I do hope you feel better soon. Get some rest. –S_

There. That was that. He pushed away from his desk and got up, rubbing at the back of his neck, where his muscles were tense enough to snap.

He left his office and padded barefoot down the hall to his bedroom, peeling his shirt off as he walked. He dropped it into the hamper in his room and unbuttoned his jeans, pushing those down as well. He stepped out of them and set them in the hamper, and then made his way into his en suite bathroom.

He turned the shower on to get the water warm, and while he waited for that he grabbed a hair tie off the sink and twisted his hair into a knot at the top of his head to keep it out of the water. When he was done with that he pushed his briefs down and kicked them aside, walking back over to the shower to pull the glass door open and test the water.

Pleased that it was warm enough, he stepped in and turned his back to the water, letting the warmth wash over his aching back. He let his eyes drift shut, which was his first mistake. He could picture her as clearly as if she was in front of him, all long limbs and toned muscles moving in synch with the music.

He swore under his breath, willing himself to think of anything else, anything that wasn’t her warm honey skin and what it would be like to feel every inch of it and the noises she would make under his hands. He tried his best, though ultimately, he failed.

He held out for another thirty seconds before he gave up, letting out a breath and letting his shoulders slump.

He’d seen her face when she was entirely unaware of anyone else, lost in the bliss of the music. She had been sublimely beautiful then, and he could only imagine how much better she would look when she was sprawled out under him begging for more. And she _would_ beg, of that Solas was certain. He would pin her hands above her head and mark her tanned skin with his teeth, claiming her.

Solas tried to shake the thoughts and get on with his shower, but he was already half hard. Sighing, he gave up and slid a hand down his stomach, wrapping his long fingers around his erection. He sucked in a breath at the feeling and slowly stroked up his length.

He had kissed her neck, he remembered that much with perfect clarity. Her skin had been feverish hot against his lips and sticky sweet, and he ached with how badly he wanted to kiss up her thighs and taste her. He wanted to bring her to the edge and beyond a million times and feel her come apart under him, he wanted to learn every sensitive spot on her body and use it to make her moan and writhe.

Solas brought his free hand up against his shower wall and rested his forehead against the cool tiles, breath coming a bit unevenly as he stroked himself, twisting his wrist slightly to brush his thumb over a sensitive spot that made a jolt of pleasure shoot up his spine.

He swore, feeling heat coil in the pit of his stomach. It was ridiculous and frankly embarrassing how quickly his willpower crumbled in any situation that involved Ellana. He usually prided himself on his self-restrained and maturity, and yet there he was getting off after ten minutes of dirty thoughts like an inexperienced teenager.

Though Ellana _did_ seem like the type who wouldn’t be submissive without putting up a fight. If she was very good, if she begged prettily, perhaps he would let her be on top. He would lie back on his bed and let her straddle his hips and ride him, and he could watch her full lips part as she moaned. He could watch her arch her back and watch her chest move as she rolled her hips against him.

Solas came so hard his vision spotted white and his legs went to jelly, knees threatening to buckle on him. He let out a shaky breath and turned back to the water, letting the water wash off the evidence of his lapse in control.

Even over the noise of his shower, he could hear his phone vibrate against his desk in the other room.

Solas felt a laugh bubbling up in his chest at how ridiculous the whole situation was, but he swallowed it down and reached out to the water temperature controls. He turned the handle sharply and felt the water temperature drop to icy cold against his skin.

He put his face into the water and pulled away a second later, sucking in a breath and shivering. Uncomfortable, certainly, but effective at getting the haze clouding his mind out.

Ellana was still his responsibility, and if he was going to have to be around her, he couldn’t be behaving like a lovesick child. He summoned up thoughts of his studies and began to wash himself off, resigning himself to a lot of quietly snuffing out his urges in his near future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments & Kudos are always greatly appreciated!!!


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait!!   
> Things are super crazy for me right now bc not only is it end of term, but I'm moving back to the states this weekend so I'm busy with packing and all of that fun stuff. So, keep that in mind if my updates get spotty over the next few weeks! I'll do my best to update regularly, but in case I don't, I don't want you guys to think I've abandoned ship or anything.   
> ANYWAY. Lots of backstory and relationship building this chapter. I did say it was gonna be a slow burn, but we'll get there eventually!  
> Enjoy!!

Ellana was in the hospital five more days before she was finally well enough to stay awake a reasonable amount of time, walk on her own, and pass the strength test the resident physical therapist gave her. No one knew what to make of her arm, but after the initial flare-ups in the first few days, it seemed to stop acting up. It still shot pain up her arm once in a while, but she wasn’t going to tell that to the doctors if it meant they would make her stay longer.

The first few days she was home, Dorian stayed with her. He cleaned her place up and bought groceries and cooked for her, while Ellana mostly alternated between complaining that she wanted to go back to work, and napping on the sofa.

Her staff had been running the shelter for her in her absence, and though she was immensely grateful to them for it, guilt still gnawed at her. The month before and after Satinalia were always the busiest, the shelter full of people who either wanted to adopt a pet as a gift to someone, or people who had been given a pet as a gift and didn’t have the means to take care of it. She wanted to be there to help them, and to start planning on uses for their donation money, but for the second time in her recent past, she found herself stuck in her crappy apartment while everyone else did the work for her.

“Are you planning on showering?”

Dorian’s voice pulled Ellana from her thoughts and she blinked over at him, shifting to pull her legs up under her body on the sofa.

“No, I already did this morning.”

“And you’ve eaten breakfast.”

Ellana rolled her eyes. “You saw me eat, Dorian.”

He pursed his lips, walking over to the door.

“And you’re absolutely not going to do anything stupid while I’m gone?”

“Go home, Dorian. I know you want a hot shower, and I’m actually a grown woman. I can take care of myself.”

Dorian clucked his tongue, shaking his head. “I’m just going to do some laundry and run some errands. I’ll be back tonight. I’ll bring dinner.”

“Alright,” Ellana agreed, letting her head fall back against the couch cushions. “I’ll see you then.”

“Do you need me to pick anything up from the store?” He pulled his coat on and busied himself with buttoning it up. “I think you’re out of milk…”

Ellana let her eyes slide shut and shook her head, feeling a headache coming on behind her eyes. “Don’t worry about it.”

She heard Dorian take a breath to speak, but he was cut off by a knock on the door. Ellana’s eyes snapped open and she sat up a bit, frowning.

Dorian raised an eyebrow at her and she just shrugged, indicating for him to open the door. He obliged, pulling the door open to find Solas standing in the doorway, with Fenlin on a leash at his side.

She sat up straighter, bringing a hand up to try to smooth some flyaways back into her ponytail. She wasn’t exactly sure why Solas had such a knack for showing up when she looked a mess, but she couldn’t deny that it seemed to be a talent of his.

“I hope this isn’t a bad time. I’m realizing I should have called first.”

“Not at all,” Dorian responded before Ellana could, waving a hand to welcome Solas in. “I was just heading out, you can keep an eye on her for me. Though do keep things civilized, I can’t have you wearing her out.”

Dorian shot Ellana a wink, smirking. Ellana barely resisted the urge to flip him off.

“I’ll see you in a bit, peaches. Text me if you need anything.” With that he ducked out, closing the door behind him.

Ellana cleared her throat in the silence that followed, swinging her legs back down off the sofa.

“Ah….. I wasn’t aware you even knew my address.”

“Oh,” Solas cleared his throat, nodding. “Josephine told me. I mentioned wanting to take a look at your arm, and she, ah. Advised that I should come and do it.”

Ellana looked down at her left arm, entirely bare in the ratty tank top she was wearing over a pair of mesh running shorts she stole from Dorian. She had to pull the drawstring tight around her hips, but they only fell to mid-thigh on her. She’d justified taking them by telling him that no one needed to see that much of his ass in broad daylight.

“Right. Well. Here it is.” She brought her hand up, wiggling her fingers.

“Do you mind if I let him off his leash?” Solas asked, glancing down at Fenlin. To the puppy’s credit, he was sitting patiently at Solas’ feet.

“Yeah, that’s fine. As long as he doesn’t like, start barking or anything. If one of my neighbors reports me for having a dog in here I’ll probably get evicted.”

Solas crouched down and unhooked the leash from Fenlin’s collar, and almost immediately the dog ran happily over to the sofa and hopped up, pressing his cold nose against her cheek to give her kisses.

Solas swore under his breath and took a half-step forward, before stilling again. “I’m sorry, he doesn’t quite understand the no jumping on the furniture rule yet. We’re working on it.”

“Oh, don’t worry about it. This sofa is older than me, I’m not worried about it being ruined.” She scratched behind his ears, letting him sniff at her and get the excitement out of his system. “Is he adjusting well to his new home?”

“He seems to be,” Solas answered, winding the leash around his hand to tuck it into the pocket of his coat.

“Good.” Ellana let Fenlin settle into her lap and rubbed at his belly for a moment before she finally looked up at Solas. “Oh, please. Make yourself at home.”

She watched him give her a stiff nod and start to unbutton his coat, and once she was satisfied that he was doing as instructed, she turned her attention back to the squirming puppy in her lap. A beat passed before the sofa dipped with weight, and Solas settled down next to her.

He looked uncomfortable, and she could only guess that he was judging her threadbare living room compared to what was no doubt an impeccable and expensive room in his own apartment. She couldn’t blame him. Her carpet had a stain that looked suspiciously like it might have been blood, her ceiling was cracked and plaster dust rained down on them any time the people above her walked too heavily, and thanks to the sushi place next door, everything always smelled like rotting fish.

“Sorry,” She found herself saying, a bit embarrassed. “It’s not much, but it’s home.”

“No, please, there’s no need to apologize.” Solas insisted, pushing his sleeves up to his elbows. “I suppose I just…. Well. I assumed you were exaggerating, about the state of your living arrangements.”

Ellana raised an eyebrow, looking back down at Fenlin. At least the puppy wasn’t looking at her with pity. “Nope, this is actually where I live. Shocking, I know. Poor people exist.”

There was a beat of silence before Solas spoke again.

“I didn’t mean to offend, Ellana. Truly. If you need a better place to live, I could-“

“Don’t,” Ellana warned, a frown pulling at her lips. “Whatever you’re about to offer, don’t. I took your money for the shelter because that was for the good of the community, and we run on charity. But _I’m_ not a charity case, and I’m definitely not _your_ charity case.”

“I wasn’t implying-“

“You were, though, so just shut up and leave well enough alone. I’m grateful for everything you’ve done for me, but I don’t need it. And if you think that doing this shit for me makes you entitled to- to _something_ , then you can fuck off right now.” She snapped, severe enough that Fenlin whined and rolled over, climbing out of her lap to hop off the sofa.

She watched the puppy run around the living room in search of something to play with, and felt the silence weigh heavy in the air around them. Finally, Solas broke it.

“I’m not sure what I’ve done to make you think so lowly of me,” His voice had gone even and calm, devoid of emotion, and somehow that was more intimidating than if he had yelled.

Ellana huffed, looking over at him. “Don’t make this about you.”

“I wasn’t-… Are you aware of how frustrating you are?”

“I’ve been told.”

“I don’t understand you. One moment you’re putting winky faces in your text messages, and the next you seem ready to rip my throat out.”

Ellana pressed her lips into a line, staring him down for a minute before she spoke again.

“Did you just say _winky faces_?”

She watched Solas’ face go from annoyance to disbelief, until his mask cracked and he was laughing, his cheeks dimpled and his eyes crinkling around the edges with it.

Ellana tried to hold on to her anger, but she could feel it slipping away even before his laughter started. And then he _snorted_ , and brought a hand up to his face to cover his mouth, cheeks flushing copper, and Ellana couldn’t hold out any longer.

“Holy shit, you’re such a dork,” She accused him, cheeks aching with how wide she was grinning. “You walk around here in your nice clothes with your…. Your cheekbones and your pretty eyes and you act like you’re the shit, but you’re just a fucking dork! A dork who says ‘winky face’ and snorts when he laughs.”

“You can’t tell anyone else, I have a reputation to uphold,” He informed her, still chuckling.

“Yeah, creators forbid anyone should know you’re a real person under all that hard exterior.”

“Exactly. People might try to engage with me. Or worse, try to become my friend. It’s bad enough that I get invited to parties now, imagine if people know I actually enjoy them.”

“I knew it,” She shook her head, laughing. “You just have this vibe, like you’ve definitely been to a rave before.”

Solas snorted again and Ellana shook her head, feeling warmth fill up all the cracks in her chest where her anger had been. For a moment there was silence, the both of them watching Fenlin roll around on the carpet.

“I’m sorry,” Ellana finally sighed, looking over at him. “I know I can be…”

“Hostile?”

“I was going to say _defensive_ ,” She rolled her eyes, reaching a hand out to give his shoulder a shove. “But yeah, alright, hostile. It’s just… I mean, I’ve been on my own since I was seventeen, and I took care of myself even before then.”

She looked over at Solas, who was watching her with such intent that it made her ears burn.

“Were you not well liked in your clan? From what I understood, clans are typically very close-knit.”

Ellana nodded a bit in response to that, pulling her legs up to her chest. She wrapped her arms around them and rested her chin on a kneecap.

“No, that’s right. To an extent. Um. My dad, he died when I was three. And my mom, she kinda lost her shit after that, you know. Started drinking a lot.”

“I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s… Well, it’s not alright, but. You know. Anyway, she got herself knocked up when I was six, had my little brother. She didn’t even want to hold him when he was born.” Ellana wasn’t sure why she was telling him all of these things about her past- things she hadn’t even told her closest friends. But it felt like she’d opened the floodgates, and the words were spilling out of her mouth without her permission.

Solas shifted so he was angled towards her, still intently listening. She swallowed the lump in her throat, shaking her head.

“Anyway, when my mom got bad, Deshanna, our keeper, she’d come get me and Nehn and we’d stay at her place for the night and she’d make sure we were fed and clean and all of that. It went on like that for a while, and it was alright, if not ideal. She had a son, Samahl, who was the same age as me. We were like, inseparable. Always off getting into trouble.”

She glanced over at Solas, who gave her the ghost of a smile as he listened.

“Ah. So basically, when we were like twelve, Sam came into his magic. We hadn’t had a mage born into the clan since Deshanna became keeper, so it was like, a big deal, you know. Magic is getting rarer in the clans these days. Some clans still don’t have any mages to be trained as firsts. And fuck, Deshanna was so proud of him.” She lifted her head, looking down at her hands to pick at her nails. “And I was too, because he was my best friend and I was happy that he was going to be successful and all that.”

“And then?” Solas pressed, gently.

“And then, like a month later, I was off in the woods by myself while Sam was in lessons, and a couple of shems hiking in the area startled me. I was a kid, I’d never been off the reservation, I’d seen like three humans before in my life, and all I knew about them was that my keeper told me that I should run if a shem man ever approached me alone. So I was alone, scared out of my mind, and this group of like four men is walking up to me.”

“That’s when you came into your magic?”

“I didn’t hurt anyone, thank the creators. But I did scare the shit out of them, and started a small fire with the lighting I was casting. Anyway. Like I said. Magic is rare in the clans these days. If you’re blessed enough to have more than one mage, you send one of them off to another clan so they can be trained there.”

She looked over at Solas, who seemed to be putting the pieces together. Still, he remained silent.

“I knew if it was between me and Sam, she was going to send me away. And I couldn’t leave my brother alone with my mom, so…” She shrugged, looking back down at her hands. “I took care of him and kept my magic a secret. I graduated from high school early and applied to literally every university in Ferelden _and_ in Orlais, anything to get me out of there. I got offers from a bunch of places, namely the University of Orlais, but like…. I didn’t speak Orlesian, and they were only offering me a fourth of the tuition in scholarships, so I couldn't afford it. They’re a bunch of elitist pricks there anyway, so... When I was seventeen I accepted a spot at Haven University. Sam promised to take care of Nehn for me, and… and I left the reservation, started college.”

Solas raised an eyebrow at her, but she couldn’t get a read on what his expression was conveying. “You got accepted to the university at seventeen? After attending a reservation school?”

“Yep. Full ride scholarship.”

Solas blinked at her for a moment, shaking his head slowly. Finally, he took a breath and spoke again. “Have you seen him, since you left?

“Sam, or my brother?”

“Either one.”

“Nehn graduated from high school last year, I went to a party he had off-reservation to celebrate. And now that he has his driver’s license, Sam lets him borrow his car to drive into the closest city. So we meet for dinner sometimes. But, ah. I haven’t been back to the reservation. I miss him like crazy. I miss both of them.”

Solas blinked at her, seeming to be processing the information.

“So that’s why you haven’t been trained, then? Why you lack control over your magic.”

“Sam taught me, a bit, as we got older. When we snuck off together, he’d teach me what Deshanna was teaching him. But ah. We usually wound up getting. Distracted.” She looked away, flushing up to the tips of her ears again.

“Oh.”

“Yeah.”

“Are the two of you still…?”

“Nah, I haven’t seen him since I left. Nehn gives me updates about him, and we still talk over the phone sometimes. But no, that ended when I left.”

“I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s alright. It was ages ago.”

She lapsed into silence and Solas did nothing to fill it, and for a sickening moment she thought that maybe she’d fucked it up by telling him all of that. Then, he reached out and put a hand carefully on her shoulder.

“ _Ma serannas, lethallin._ That cannot have been easy to talk about. I’m honored that you would share it with me. Truly.”

Ellana let out the breath she’d been holding, shaking her head. “Well, you did save my life. I guess I owed you one.”

“Are you going to hit me if I make another offer?” He asked, looking vaguely amused.

Ellana looked over at him, pursing her lips. “Depends, is it money?”

“No.”

“Then go ahead.”

“I _have_ been trained. And I’ve done extensive study on ancient Elvhen magic. If you wanted…” He shrugged, letting his hand fall away from her. She missed the warmth as soon as it was gone. “I could be something of a tutor. At least to teach you how to control it, so you don’t accidentally drain yourself again.”

“Oh, I couldn’t ask you to do that, Solas.”

“You didn’t, I offered.”

She sighed, considering the notion for a few moments. “I mean. Dorian’s gonna be pissed if I let someone else teach me magic.”

Solas chuckled at that, shrugging. “Tell him I can give you an education closer to what you would receive in your clan.”

“Can you?”

“I like to think I can offer a much better caliber of knowledge, but I certainly know specifically Elvhen techniques that I doubt he would know.”

“Now you’re just trying to impress me,” She accused.

“Perhaps,” He confirmed, a sly smile tugging at his lips. “Regardless, it is the truth.”

“Alright, alright.” She finally sighed, shrugging. “You’ve won me over. But don’t blame me if I’m absolutely awful and a lost cause.”

“I highly doubt that,” He smiled, holding his hands out palm-up. “Now let me see your arm.”

“Oh, right.” The reason he had come there, after all. Not to hear her spill her life story. She held her left hand out to him, and he carefully wrapped his fingers around her wrist. “It’s gotten better, since it first happened. I hardly notice it now.”

“Does it cause you any pain still?”

“A bit,” She admitted, wiggling her fingers absently. “But nothing I can’t tolerate. It should wear off, shouldn’t it?”

“I don’t know,” Solas admitted, letting her hand go with a frown. “I’d like to keep an eye on it, if you’ll let me.”

“Yeah, whatever you want. I don’t really want my arm to fall off or anything, so.” She shrugged, looking at the mark in her palm. “And if you’re gonna be teaching me magic, you’ll probably see me once in a while.”

“Yes,” He agreed, lifting his chin. “When would you like to meet again, to start? We should wait until you’re fully recovered, in any event.”

“Well… I mean, I don’t know when that will be. How about you come back in like a week? You can check my arm again and see if you think I’m ready to start. Hopefully I’m back to work by then, but we can text and figure out a time.”

“Alright,” Solas agreed, patting a hand on his thigh. Ellana carefully pretended not to be staring at his thigh, or his long freckled fingers. “Fenlin, come.”

The puppy’s head snapped up at the command and he trotted happily over, wagging his tail as he rested his head on Solas’ knee, waiting for pets. Solas obliged, scratching behind his ears while he reached for the coat he’d thrown over the arm of the sofa. He pulled the leash out of the pocket and unwound it, looking over at Ellana.

“If you have any more problems with your hand, or with controlling your magic, don’t hesitate to call me. My classes are on break until next week anyway, I could come by any time.”

Ellana nodded a bit, watching him put Fenlin’s leash back on. “Yeah, okay. I’ll let you know if I need anything. Oh, and ah…. The stuff, that I told you. I would appreciate it if that stayed between us.”

Solas nodded, getting to his feet. “Of course.”

Ellana swung her legs off the sofa and hauled herself to her feet, swaying a bit as she regained balance. Solas was watching her carefully, but she ignored that, walking over to the door instead to see him out.

“So, I’ll talk to you soon,” She pulled the door open, stepping aside to let him through.

Solas nodded, handing Fenlin’s leash over to Ellana while he pulled his coat on. When he was sorted, he took the leash back and wound it around his hand.

“Talk to you soon,” He confirmed, seeming to hang in limbo for a moment. Finally, he extended a hand out to her.

Ellana raised an eyebrow, staring down at his outstretched hand for a beat too long. She could practically feel Solas’ discomfort as he dropped his hand lamely back to his side.

“Mythal fucking preserve me, such a dork.”

She shook her head, standing up on her toes to pull him into a loose hug. He went rigid at first, hands still hanging limply at his sides. Finally, when Ellana was about to give up and pull away, he brought his free arm up around her waist and held her close for a moment. She hid her face against the collar of his coat and let her eyes slide shut, trapped in the space of one heartbeat with the warmth of his chest against her. Being that close to him, breathing in his scent, felt like coming home after being away for so long, like the wind through pine trees on a winter morning, like old books and crisp parchment and the feeling of satisfaction when you finally solve a puzzle.

When she pulled away, she could feel how warm her face was and she felt more flustered than a hug had any right to make her feel. Her only consolation was that a quick glance up at Solas confirmed that he was just as flushed and flustered as she was.

“I should-…. Go.”

“Yeah, totally. Ah. See you.”

“Yes. Goodbye.” With that, Solas turned sharply and lead Fenlin out the open doorway and down the hall, walking so fast you’d have thought there was a fire.

Ellana watched him round a corner before she closed the door and leaned against his, letting her forehead hit the wood with a soft thud. She pulled her phone from the waistband of her mesh shorts where she’d tucked it in lieu of a pocket, and slid her thumb over the screen to unlock it, so she could dial Dorian’s number. She brought it up to her ear and shut her eyes, working up the energy to stand up straight and walk back to the sofa.

His phone went straight to voicemail and it was all Ellana could do not to scream. Instead, she tucked her phone back into her waistband, marched over to her sofa, and flopped face-down on the lumpy cushions to wait for the earth to swallow her up.

When Dorian got back, she was going to make him promise to two things. One, that he would stop draining his phone battery by playing a stupid online scrabble game. And two, that he would never leave her alone with Solas again, lest she actually embarrass herself to death.

In the meantime, she buried her face deeper into her couch cushion, and tried not to think about how Solas’ arms felt like they were made for her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Commends/kudos are always appreciated!!


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise, I'm alive! Seriously though, sorry for the delay!!! Here's an extra long chapter to make up for it <3 
> 
> Oh, also I'm aware that there's a debate on if Antiva is meant to be the real world version of like, Italy, Portugal, Spain, or something else.... But I decided to go with Spain solely because I already speak Spanish and I don't know a thing about Portuguese or Italian so I didn't want to butcher it. Bear with me amigos, we're making the rules up as we go.  
> Enjoy!!

Two weeks passed before Solas’ schedule managed to line up with Ellana’s, and they could agree on a time to meet. He agreed to come to her place so she wouldn’t have to pay for gas or bus fare up to his place, and in case the training drained her too much to get home safely.

When he pulled up to her dilapidated building it was sleeting and the ground was slippery under his hiking boots. He nearly slid over an ice-filled pothole in the parking lot on his way up to the building but he managed to recover before he could fall face-first onto the asphalt and embarrass himself before even getting into her apartment.

He made it into the building and up the stairs without further incident, unwinding his scarf and taking his beanie off as he walked. As he drew closer to her door he could hear the thumping bass of music through the thin walls, so loud it was vibrating the floor boards. For a moment he thought that it must have been coming from one of her neighbors and thought to offer to have a word with them for her, but as he drew closer it was undeniable that it was coming from inside her apartment.

Doubtful that she would even hear it, he knocked hard on the door. To his surprise, the door swung open on the first knock. He hesitated a moment, and then pushed the door the rest of the way open to step inside.

The music was even louder once he was in, the bass vibrating in his teeth and chest as the artist responsible for the noise rapped about something in Antivan. He took another two steps into the apartment before he even saw Ellana.

She was standing in the kitchen in a pair of little cotton shorts that left too much of her legs exposed for Solas to think straight, with a baggy crop-cut tee shirt covering most of her torso. She was dancing absently to the beat of the music bumping from a speaker on the counter, mixing something in a bowl.

Solas walked up to her and tapped her shoulder.

She whirled around, sloshing a green liquid in the bowl dangerously close to the edge, and grinned wide upon seeing him. She shouted something over the music that Solas couldn’t hear, and then held up one finger to tell him to wait.

She turned, setting the bowl on the counter and turning the dial on the stereo until the music reduced to a less skull-shattering volume.

“Solas!” She greeted, spinning around again to smile at him. Her hips were still moving in time to the beat of the music and Solas had to fight to keep his eyes on her face. “I didn’t hear you knock, sorry.”

“No need to apologize,” He assured her, giving a tight smile. “I hope I’m not interrupting anything.”

“Oh, no, I’m just mixing up a home remedy for Dorian. He’s got this bug that’s going around, pretty gross. Lots of coughing and runny noses.”

“It’s the season for it,” Solas agreed absently, tucking his hat and scarf into the pocket of his coat. “I thought perhaps you were having a party upon first walking into your hall.”

“Oh, the music,” Ellana ducked her head, looking almost bashful. Her curls fell in front of her face, obscuring it for a moment before she looked up again. “You’re not a fan of rap, I take it?”

Solas snorted, eyebrows shooting up. “I don’t know how you can possibly actually _enjoy_ this,” He waved a hand at the stereo, shrugging.

“Wow, rude,” Ellana clucked her tongue, shaking her head. “And offensive to Antivans.”

Solas rolled his eyes, shrugging out of his coat. He folded it neatly and set it on the counter. “Anyone can manufacture sounds on a computer and then talk over them.”

“That’s not-… Mythal fucking preserve me, you sound like a hahren. It’s not just talking over noise. _Listen_.” She turned the volume slightly up on the stereo and skipped to a new track.

The song opened with a soft voice crooning in Antivan over a bass line, and then built to a rough man’s voice rapping about- well, Solas wasn’t quite sure.

Ellana laughed as she saw his reaction, shaking her head. “You’re so old.”

“I am not _old_ ¸I just… have more refined tastes.”

“Ugh, that’s the most bullshit line I’ve ever heard. You know that’s what the shems say about our music, right?”

“Pardon?”

“That shem music is more refined than our traditional music. It’s a bunch of racially charged bullshit. Just because this is different than what you’re used to doesn’t mean it’s any less valid than- what, classical music?”

Solas felt his face heat up a bit, crossing his arms over his chest. “And what if I _do_ like classical music?”

“Nothing! It’s just… you know, this is just _different_ , not better or worse than. Tell me what you like about classical music.”

Solas huffed, the words ‘am I here to teach you magic or to talk music theory’ on the tip of his tongue. But Ellana’s face was lit up and her hips were still moving, and he couldn’t find it in himself to tell her to stop.

“I suppose… I enjoy the emotion that is conveyed in it. The subtleties and skill required to perform it.”

“You don’t feel emotion in this?” She challenged, waving a hand at the stereo.

“I do not speak Antivan.”

“Yeah, but you don’t need to. Listen, Solas,” She pressed, a crease forming between her eyebrows.

To appease her, Solas sighed and focused in on the sound of the music again. The beat to the music was fast, almost frenzied. There were industrial noises in the background, and the man rapping to the beat sounded desperate. When the hook came around, a chorus of what sounded like children’s voices sang angelic in sharp juxtaposition to the harsh noises in the background.

Solas took a breath, looking back to Ellana’s expectant face. “I can feel… Desperation, suffering, panic perhaps.”

Ellana looked smug, her full lips pulling into a smirk. “This artist was separated from his family on a trip to Ferelden when he was four and came into his magic, got yanked by Templars and thrown into a circle. This track is about his experiences in the circle.”

Solas let out a slow breath, the sounds of the song suddenly clicking into place. “I see.”

“See? I guess old dogs _can_ learn new tricks.”

Solas chuckled at her phrasing, bringing a hand up to gather his dreads and secure them into a knot. “Perhaps, though I think I’ll stick with my classical music… Do you speak Antivan?”

“Yeah, I was born there, actually.”

Solas raised an eyebrow, watching Ellana go over to her fridge and pull out a bottle of water. “I thought Clan Lavellan was from the Free Marches.”

“Mm, Lavellan was my mother’s clan,” Ellana told him, opening her water and taking a sip. “My dad’s clan was from Antiva, so when him and my mom got married she moved there. We lived there the first couple years of my life, and then when he died we went back to my mom’s clan.”

“Ah. You will have to teach me.”

“Antivan?”

Solas nodded, stepping back as Ellana walked past him back into the living room.

“I’m surprised you don’t already know it, _profesor_.”

Solas swallowed thickly, thinking that it was unfair- her hips swaying as she walked away from him in those little shorts, with that word and it’s rolled ‘r’s sounding like something dirty on her lips.

“Ah. I know a few words, but the majority of my studies have been devoted to the Elvhen language.”

“Uh huh. Well, I know a little about that, too. Are you coming, or what?” She dropped onto the sofa and popped her feet up onto the coffee table, wiggling her bare toes.

Solas stared stupidly at her long legs for a moment before his brain caught up. He pushed the sleeves of his shirt up and walked into the living room, sitting more rigidly on the sofa next to her.

“Right,” Solas began, forcing his eyes up to Ellana’s face. “Let’s begin, shall we? We’re going to start with magical theory, not with the actual practice of magic.”

“Okay, interesting.” The way she said it, Solas didn’t doubt she was being genuine.

“Yes… So. How much do you know about the fade?”

 

***********************************************

 

“Did you wear the shorts I told you to wear?” Dorian asked, and immediately sneezed into a tissue.

Ellana wrinkled her nose from where she was sitting cross-legged at the foot of his bed, in her pajamas. Her heat had gone out an hour after Solas left, leaving her to choose between freezing to death, or catching the plague from Dorian.

“Yes, I wore the shorts you told me to. Are you drinking enough tea?”

Dorian shot her a death glare from among his mass of pillows and blankets, droopy mustache twitching. “I’ve consumed three cups of tea since you arrived and that’s your question?”

“I’m just trying to help!”

“Ugh. I need new lungs, not another blasted cup of tea.”

“You have a cold,” Ellana rolled her eyes, bringing her hands up to start braiding her curls back off her face. “You’re going to survive.”

“I hope you aren’t so flippant at my funeral.”

“Drama queen.”

Dorian shot her a glare, the effect of which was largely ruined by the tissue covering half his face. Ellana snorted, securing her braid off with the elastic around her wrist.

“Tell me about your lesson already.” Dorian demanded, voice thick and nasally. “Did he do the thing where he gets behind you and guides your hands for the sake of your learning?”

“He literally didn’t even touch me,” Ellana sighed, flopping back so she was laying sideways across the foot of the bed. “We didn’t even do magic.”

“Then what _did_ you do?”

“Talked about the fade, mostly,” Ellana huffed, slinging an arm over her eyes to block the light out. “I mean, it was interesting and all, don’t get me wrong. But I pulled out all the stops! The stops are gone!”

“Mm.”

“And yet-”

“Maybe he’s gay,” Dorian mused lightly, tossing his tissue into the bin next to his bed.

“He’s not gay,” Ellana waved a hand dismissively, brow furrowing. “At least… I _think_ he’s not gay. It’s not that he doesn’t seem attracted to me.”

“How do you know?”

“I dunno, it’s…. He’s like, really good at keeping his composure, which is frustrating as hell. But I still catch him staring.”

Dorian nodded a bit, picking up a mug from his night stand to wrap his fingers around it. “Well. Perhaps you just need to root out his weaknesses and exploit them. Break down his self-control. _Or,_ ”

“Don’t say it.”

“ _Or_ ,” Dorian continued, raising an eyebrow, “You could just leave well enough alone and find someone else to scratch that itch of yours.”

“Ugh, don’t ever say that again.” Ellana huffed, throwing her arm back down onto the bed. “I don’t have an _itch_ , I just-….. Really wanna suck his dick. There, are you satisfied? Stop laughing!”

“I’m sorry!” Dorian’s laughter dissolved into coughing, which lead to him nearly spilling his tea onto his bed. When he recovered, he took a rattling breath and looked down at Ellana. “Why are you so void-bent on sucking this particular dick?”

“This is degrading, I don’t wanna talk about Solas’ dick anymore.”

“Ellana.”

She gave a heaving sigh and rolled over onto her stomach so she could crawl up the bed, only to flop down again in the pillows next to Dorian.

“I don’t know, he’s just…. He’s infuriating, and he can keep up with me in a debate, and he’s so fucking smart, and he has such cute freckles… Stop looking at me like that.”

“Andraste help you, you’re in love.”

“I’m not in love, Dorian! I barely know him.”

“Sounds to me like you know him quite well,” Dorian argued with a shrug, taking a sip of tea.

Ellana pulled a pillow over her head, groaning. “I don’t know why I tell you anything.”

“I’ll stop teasing, I promise.” Dorian pulled the pillow off her head, and light streamed onto Ellana’s tired eyes again. “You know what I’m going to say, peaches.”

“I don’t want to have this conversation again, Dorian.”

“Ellana, you need to let yourself feel whatever you’re feeling. How many relationships have fallen apart because you close yourself off?”

“Yeah, you’re one to talk,” She snapped, though it made guilt pool in her stomach. “Sorry. But it’s true.”

“Yes, but I’m at least working on it. I haven’t chased Cullen off yet, have I?”

Ellana rolled her eyes, annoyed that Dorian was winning the argument.

“Fine. So, I’m working on it too.”

“No,” Dorian shook his head, tucking a stray curl back behind her pointed ear. “No, you’re not. Tell me who the last person was that you said ‘I love you’ to.”

“Easy, you. Like an hour ago.”

“No, Ellana. Romantically.”

Ellana gritted her teeth and stared at a tiny rip in the pillowcase next to her head.

“Samahl.”

“And that was how long ago, sweetheart?”

“I get it, Dorian. I’m a coldhearted bitch.”

Dorian gave a huff and set his tea aside so he could wrap his arms around Ellana’s shoulders and pull her close to his chest.

“You’re gonna get me sick,” Ellana protested weakly, even as she tucked her head under his chin and wrapped an arm around him. “I’m gonna miss even more work.”

“Oh, hush, you. You’re not a coldhearted bitch, Ellana. You just need to open yourself to the possibility that you may be developing real feelings for him. Other than lust.”

“I don’t wanna develop real feelings for him.”

“Yes, well, we don’t get to choose who we fall in love with, I’m afraid. Maker knows I never would have chosen some dog lord who thinks it’s acceptable to wear faux fur.”

Ellana pulled her head back to look at Dorian, her eyebrows shooting up. “I’m sorry, did you just admit that you’re in love with Cullen?”

Dorian scowled, bringing a hand up to tug on the end of her braid. “Hush.”

“No, no, it’s adorable! Oh my god, you two can adopt a little curly-haired baby, and I’ll be the maid of honor at your wedding, obviously, and-”

“That’s it, you’re going back to your icebox of an apartment,” Dorian deciding, poking at her side to make her laugh and squirm. “I’m exiling you, forever.”

“You would never, you _love_ me,” Ellana informed him, drawing out the word ‘love’.

“Irrelevant,” Dorian dismissed, sniffling. “Fine. I’ll stop pestering you about Solas, if you promise not to tell another soul about what just came out of my mouth.”

“What, you mean I can’t tell Varric to start writing speeches for your wedding?” Ellana teased, grinning.

“I’m going to sneeze on you,” Dorian threatened, letting his head fall back against his mountain of pillows.

Ellana rolled her eyes, shaking her head. “You need to get some sleep.”

“Mm,” Dorian agreed with a nod, letting his arms go slack around her. “Well, make yourself at home if you’re not tired yet.”

Ellana carefully untangled herself from his arms and sat up, swinging her legs over the edge of the bed. “Yell if you need anything, okay?”

“I will,” Dorian promised, turning on his side and curling up.

Ellana leaned down to press a kiss to his forehead, pleased that his skin didn’t feel feverish. “Goodnight, Mr. Rutherford.”

“I’m going to shave your head in your sleep,” Dorian mumbled sleepily, swatting a hand in her general direction.

Ellana laughed, going over to the door. She hit the light switch on her way out, and the room fell into darkness. “Love you.”

“Love you,” Came Dorian’s sleepy reply.

Ellana left the room as quietly as she could, closing the door behind her so he could sleep in peace. She made her way down the hall into his living room so she could sit on his plush leather sofa and turn the television on. It wasn’t terribly late yet, so she managed to flip through only a few channels before she found a rerun of an old movie that she could tolerate as background noise.

She managed to resist the urge to take her phone out for all of five minutes before she gave in, pulling it from the pocket of her flannel pajama bottoms. She unlocked it and scrolled through her messages, disappointed that there weren’t any from Solas. She hesitated half a moment before she opened his conversation thread and tapped out a new message.

_Qué pasa, profesor? –EL_

She pulled her legs up to sit cross-legged on the sofa, balancing her phone on her knee as she made a half-hearted effort to pay attention to the black and white movie on the TV. A few moments passed in agonizing silence, and Ellana reasoned that perhaps Solas had already gone to bed. Just when she was ready to call it and give up on receiving a response, her phone buzzed.

_Do you plan on teaching me Antivan via immersion? –S_

_If we are to converse in another language, I must admit I would prefer it be Elvhen. –S_

Ellana read over the messages a few times, drumming her fingertips against her leg as she considered a response.

_But then you would have the upper hand. –EL_

_Maybe not. I have yet to see how well you grasp it. –S_

Ellana blinked at the new message, unsure of if she was imagining the innuendo or not.

_Ar dirthalem Dalish Elven. Ane on’el, ar dir'vhen'an. –EL_

She read over the message after she sent it, suddenly self-conscious of what was most likely awful grammar and syntax.

_I could teach you, then. –S_

_Magic tutor, Elvhen tutor, anything else you wanna tutor me in, hahren? ;P –EL_

Reading over the message again, Ellana drummed her fingers against her leg and internally kicked herself, worried that she was being too forward or obvious. Though she supposed that by then he would have to be blind not to see how badly she wanted him.

_There are a few things I can think of, yes. –S_

_You keep calling me that, how old do you think I am? –S_

Ellana raised an eyebrow, fingers hesitating, poised over the screen of her phone to tab out another message. Now that she was thinking about it, she wasn’t even sure if Solas knew how old _she_ was, and she certainly didn’t know how old he was. He didn’t look old, in that he didn’t have any greys and his freckled face wasn’t creased or wrinkled. But he had an air about him that suggested the sort of wisdom that only came with years- a vague sort of feeling Ellana got about him that he had been around the block a few times, and that was the only way she knew to describe it.

_I have no idea. You want me to guess? I might offend… -EL_

_I am curious now. Please, by all means. –S_

_You tell me how old you think I am, first. –EL_

_That would be unfair, as I already asked Josephine for your age. –S_

Ellana snorted, shaking her head as she read the newest message.

_Why did you ask Josephine how old I am?? –EL_

_I did not want to become involved in anything inappropriate. –S_

_Inappropriate? –EL_

_Mm. Are you going to continue to stall, or guess my age? –S_

Huffing, Ellana let her head fall back against the sofa as she thought it over. He was a professor and she knew he’d been employed for some time before taking his job in Haven, so he couldn’t be as young as her. But she couldn’t believe that he was over forty either.

_I don’t know, 30? 35? –EL_

_A good guess. –S_

_So? What is it? –EL_

_34–S_

_Yikes, hahren. You’re gonna start going grey soon. I’ll have to call you abuelo instead. –EL_

_Ha, ha. Very funny. –S_

_I’m sorry, did you just actually type out ‘ha ha’?????? –EL_

_Yes…? –S_

_LMAO. –EL_

_I do hope not. –S_

_What?? –EL_

_‘Laughing your ass off’. I hope not. I rather like it where it is. –S_

Ellana’s eyebrows shot up and she felt her face heat up, annoyed that even something as cheesy as that could get her heart racing when it came from him.

_Damn, hahren. Maybe papi would be more fitting than abuelo, eh? –EL_

_Excuse me? Why would you want to refer to me as ‘father’? –S_

Ellana brought a hand up to her face, using it to cover her mouth as she squeezed her eyes shut and tried to swallow a laugh down before she could wake Dorian with it. When she had herself under control, she turned her attention back to the messages.

_Nevermind, it’s an Antivan thing. –EL_

She set her phone on her knee and looked back up at the television, where the shem lead actor was sitting in an old car looking vaguely broody.

_I looked it up. –S_

Fuck the internet.

_Oh? –EL_

_I received wildly inappropriate results. I feel the need to clear my search history. –S_

_I could have warned u about that one, professor. –EL_

_Solas. Solas will suffice. –S_

_What, you don’t like papi? :( -EL_

_You will be the cause of those grey hairs you mentioned, da’len. –S_

_Oh, we can’t have that. I like your hair the way it is. –EL_

_When do you work next? –S_

_Tomorrow morning. Dorian is still sick as the void, so I’ll be going at it alone. –EL_

_I will bring you coffee on my way into work. On one condition. –S_

_I’m listening. –EL_

_Never call me ‘papi’ again.  –S_

Ellana snorted, reading his message over a few times before she tapped out her reply to send off.

_You got it, hahren. ;) –EL_

_See you in the morning! -EL_

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Elven translations:  
> Ar dirthalem Dalish Elven: I learned Dalish Elven  
> Ane on’el, ar dir'vhen'an: You're better, I promise.
> 
> Spanish translations:  
> Qué pasa, profesor?: What's up, professor?  
> Abuelo: Grampa  
> Papi: Uhhhhhh pretty much 'daddy', but in this context used in a sexy way? Basically like an alpha male type. (In Caribbean Spanish, anyway!) 
> 
> Comments & Kudos always appreciated!!


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lol remember when I said I was gonna try to update regularly?   
> (IM TRYING I PROMISE LIFE IS HARD)
> 
> I literally didn't even proof read this because I just wanted to get it up while I had a second to do it. Bear with me, guys!   
> Enjoy!!

_How do you take your coffee? –S_

It hadn’t occurred to Solas to ask until he was already sitting in the drive-thru line for the chain coffee shop, much to his chagrin. He checked the time on his phone as the line inched forward at an agonizing pace, hoping that Ellana had her phone on her at work. At the rate things were moving, he was going to have to drop her coffee off and run to make it to his 10 AM class on time. He was one car behind the speaker when his phone buzzed with a reply.

_Black, one sugar –EL_

Solas wrinkled his nose at the reply, unsure how she could drink the stuff at all, let alone without drowning it in sugar and cream. Still, if that was what she wanted than he would oblige. When he got to the speaker he ordered Ellana’s coffee, and a syrupy iced drink for himself. He would choke it down if it meant being able to stay awake through his lecture. After the text exchanged with Ellana the previous night, he’d found himself horribly preoccupied and unable to find sleep.

He insisted to himself that it had nothing to do with thoughts of Ellana in the little shorts she’d been wearing earlier, calling him professor and hahren and a million other dirty things his imagination readily supplied for him.

He snuffed those thoughts out as he picked their order up from the window and set the cups in the holders in his center console, letting the cold air coming in through the window clear his head. The last thing he needed to be doing was fantasizing about a Dalish girl almost ten years younger than him. A Dalish girl that he had nearly killed with his magic. That he might _yet_ kill with it.

As he drove the winding roads up to the shelter he resolved to be professional with her, to be polite and courteous, to check on the state of her health and magic, and to leave with a clear conscience.

Of course, that all went out the window when he actually got there.

He left his coffee in the car, trusting it would be fine in the cold as it was already iced, and carried Ellana’s coffee into the building.

He wasn’t sure exactly what it was that made his heart squeeze in his chest- perhaps the way the sun was streaming in through the window and making her honey skin and silver hair shine, or the way her eyes were crinkled at the corners with laughter, or the way her nose scrunched up slightly when the puppy she was holding licked at her cheek.

Maybe it was the way her baggy tee-shirt was hanging off one of her shoulders and her jeans were ripped and worn and frayed at the hems where they dragged on the floor under her scuffed sneakers, or the way she knelt down on the dirty floor so the little boy there with his family could pet the puppy easier.

Solas couldn’t tell if he was going to burst with the weird, almost painful happiness he was suddenly overcome with, or if he was going to throw up.

He didn’t have long to think it over.

“Hey, Solas!” A massive hand came down on his shoulder, so sudden and hard that he almost dropped Ellana’s coffee. “Is is Solas, right?”

He turned to look at the Qunari standing next to him, a grin on the giant’s scarred face despite how tight his hand was clamped onto Solas’ shoulder.

“Yes.”

“Thought so. Boss didn’t mention you were coming by, which is funny because your dick is basically all she-”

“Excuse me?” Solas choked out, though Bull carried on talking over him.

“-talks about these days. Hey, some of us are going to get drinks tonight, you should come!”

Solas blinked stupidly up at the other man, shoulder starting to ache from the massive fingers digging into it.

“Why?”

“Well,” Bull shrugged, still grinning easily. “I don’t know a whole lot about you, except that you stare at her arse like it’s your job.”

Solas balked, eyes flitting back over to Ellana for a moment, only to cut back to the Qunari when he squeezed his shoulder.

“A joke! Dorian wasn’t joking when he said you’ve got a stick up your arse, eh?” The Qunari gave a booming laugh, finally releasing Solas’ shoulder to slap a hand onto his back. “But seriously. Come have a drink with us.”

Solas resisted the urge to rub at his sore shoulder, giving the Qunari a curt nod. “If Ellana wants me there.”

“Oh, trust me, she does. I wasn’t joking about the dick thing, she’s practically gagging for-”

“I really don’t need to-”

“What’s the matter, you shy about-”

“Solas!” Solas sent a thanks to whatever powers-that-be might have been listening, and spun on his heels to face Ellana as she walked over. “When did you get here?”

“A few moments ago,” Solas answered, giving her a tight smile. “I was just having an… enlightening conversation with your friend.”

Bull snorted at that, giving Ellana a shrug when she shot him a questioning look.

“I invited him to come to the bar with us tonight, you don’t mind, do you Boss?”

“Oh, yeah, you should totally come! Josie will be there too, don’t worry,” Ellana smiled so radiantly that Solas knew it was no use even entertaining the thought of saying no.

“Perhaps, if I finish grading papers early enough.”

“Oh, take a break, professor!” Ellana took the coffee from his hands, taking a sip.

He absolutely did not watch her lick a stray drop of coffee off her lips.

“Alright,” He agreed, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his coat.

“Perfect! We’re hitting up a bar like _right_ down the street from my apartment, so, ah…. Don’t wear that watch unless you want to lose it,” She advised, giving him a half-apologetic smile. “I’ll text you the address, you can meet us there at like…. Nine?”

“Nine is agreeable,” Solas nodded, chancing a glance over at Bull. The Qunari was eyeing him up the way a lion eyes up a gazelle, and though Solas thought he could take him if he had to, the look still made him uneasy. “I suppose I’ll see you then.”

“Yeah, definitely.” Ellana looked over her shoulder at the family filling out paperwork at the counter, and then gave Solas another apologetic smile. “I’m sorry, I gotta get back to work.”

“No, of course. I have to get to class anyway.” Solas returned her smile, feeling his stomach tie itself into knots. “I’ll see you tonight.”

“See you tonight. And thanks for the coffee!”

“Any time.”

 

**********************

 

The bar was…. cozy. Okay, maybe ‘crowded and grimy’ was a better description, but Ellana already thought of Solas as a rich elitist, so he was trying to keep an open mind for her. He’d stopped off at home after work only to take his watch off, switch his work clothes out for jeans and a long-sleeved henley, and tie his hair back off. Walking into the bar, he was glad he’d changed rather than showing up in his button-down and blazer.

It was fairly easy to spot their group with the Qunari towering head and shoulders above the largely human crowd gathered in the small bar. Ellana was seated between Josephine and the blonde, choppy-haired elf who had threatened Solas once before. She had changed after work as well it seemed, wearing a tight, low-cut black top rather than the baggy shirt she’d sported at the shelter that morning.

As Solas approached she looked up and smiled, waving him over. “You made it! I was worried you weren’t gonna show for a minute.”

“I made it,” Solas agreed, shifting awkwardly on his feet, as all of the seats at the table were occupied.

“Oh, shit, um…”

“I got it, Bossy-wossy,” The blonde elf staggered to her feet, sloshing her drink a bit. “I’m gonna go try to get in those itty bitty pants.”

The elf walked off in the direction of a pretty human woman sitting at the bar, and Solas took the seat she had vacated.

“Oh, right, introductions,” Ellana said, pausing to take a sip of her drink before she set it back down and continued. “Okay, you met Bull,”

“We’re acquainted,” Bull agreed, and Solas couldn’t tell if he was winking or had just blinked.

“And Josephine you obviously know, and you met Cullen before. He’s sad because Dorian is still gross and sick so he’s not getting laid- ow!” She laughed when Cullen kicked her under the table, sticking her tongue out at the blonde man. “It’s true! Okay, okay. Um, this is Cole, I don’t think you’ve met,”

“Hello.”

Solas looked over at the small, pale boy sitting at the corner of the table, fingers wrapped tightly around a drink he looked too young to be consuming. Something about him made Solas pause, but Ellana pressed on too quickly for him to put his thumb on what exactly it was.

“Then this is Krem, he works with Bull when they’re not both working for me.”

The man in question grinned at Solas and raised his beer in a pseudo toast.

“Oh, right, everyone, this is Solas, my-” Ellana paused, color creeping up into her cheeks. “Uh, friend.”

Krem snorted, taking a sip of his drink. “Friend.”

“Friend,” Ellana agreed, throwing a balled-up napkin over at him.

Solas cleared his throat, finding that he desperately needed a drink. “Nice to meet you all.”

“What are you drinking? On me,” Bull said, giving him a look that made Solas think this was as much a test as everything with the Qunari seemed to be.

“Whatever you suggest,” Solas said carefully, eliciting another snort from Krem.

“Good man!” Bull gave a roaring laugh and slapped Solas on the back as he got up and moved to go up to the bar.

Ellana leaned in close to his side to talk into his ear over the noise, so close her lips brushed against Solas’ ear. “You’re definitely going to regret that choice, hahren.”

Solas shut his eyes for a beat, willing his heart to stop pounding. “We’ll see.”

“Daring,” She teased, pulling back enough that Solas could see her grinning. “I like that in a man.”

Someone coughed the phrase ‘get a room’ from somewhere at the table, and Solas straightened up, feeling his face heat up.

For a moment, there was an awkward silence around the table. Josephine finally must have taken pity on him, for she cleared her throat and spoke up.

“How are your students handling the new online submission system, Solas?”

“Oh, ah… Fairly well, though you can imagine some of them are none too pleased that we have a built in check for plagiarism now.”

Josephine hummed in agreement, tapping her fingers on her glass. “Honestly, we should have put a system in place ages ago. This eliminates the debates over if a paper really was turned in or not, or if it was late or not, things like that.”

Solas nodded a bit, unsure of how much he could say on the topic. It was kind of her to throw him a life preserver, but the topic of their work was likely boring to everyone else at the table.

He was saved by having to come up with something else to say when Bull came back, slamming a glass of a dark liquid down on the table. “Bottoms up!”

Solas looked dubiously at the drink, beginning to think that Ellana was right, and he was going to regret letting Bull pick his drink for him. His pride wouldn’t allow him to back down, however, so he picked the glass up and downed the liquid in one go.

It was a mistake.

The liquid burned like hot coals and razors down his throat and spread like fire in his belly, making him uncomfortably warm all over.

“ _Fenedhis,_ ” He bit out, slamming the shot glass back down.

“EYYY!” Bull roared, clapping Solas on the back for what felt like the hundredth time. “There it is! Krem, take notes! _That_ is how you take a shot of fine Qunari liquor!”

“A shot of gasoline and rubbing alcohol, more like,” Krem rolled his eyes, sipping on his beer.

Solas tugged at the collar of his shirt, clearing his throat. As if the situation couldn’t possibly get any worse, Ellana leaned in close to his ear, pressing up against his side.

“You’re sweating, hahren.”

He gave a breathless laugh at the absurdity of it all, shaking his head. “It’s hot in here.”

“I would be remiss if I didn’t make an ‘or maybe it’s just me’ joke,” Ellana said, and he could hear the smile in her voice.

“Maybe,” Solas agreed, and Ellana shifted closer at his side.

“Then maybe we should go cool off.”

“How much have you had to drink, Ellana?”

That made her pull back, and his side felt suddenly cool where her body had been pressed up.

“A few drinks. I’m not drunk.”

“Mmhm.”

“I’m not!”

“Josephine? How much has Ellana had to drink?”

The Antivan looked up from her phone, seemingly startled that someone was addressing her. “Hmm? Oh, I lost count after the last round of shots. Four? Five, maybe?”

Solas shifted his gaze back to Ellana, raising an eyebrow.

“Don’t listen to her, she’s a traitorous bastard.”

“Ellana!” Josephine elbowed the woman, looking indignant.

“Okay, that was mean, I’m sorry.”

Solas gave a huff of laughter, shaking his head. “I’m going to the bathroom.”

Ellana pouted but didn’t make any move to stop him when he got to his feet. When he did finally get up, he could feel his heart pounding like a dull roar in his ears. He didn’t drink terribly often, but surely one shot shouldn’t have been enough to make him tipsy.

Or maybe it did, as he realized when he nearly tripped over a chair on his short walk to the back of the bar where the hallway leading to the bathroom was. When he got inside he splashed his face with cold water to bring some clarity back to his head, reminding himself of all the reasons why sleeping with Ellana was a bad idea.

Even if he could see the top of her lacy bra in that shirt. Even if he desperately wanted to trace the lines of her vallaslin with his fingers and mouth, even if he could imagine her full lips parted in a moan of ecstasy while he-

No. He splashed his face with water again, and grabbed a paper towel from the neatly folded stack of them to dry himself off. He could be strong, he could go out there and be normal and have a drink with a few friends.

His plan went to shit as soon as he walked out of the bathroom.

Ellana was leaning against the wall outside the door, twirling a curl around her finger and holding her phone with the other. She looked up when Solas came out, a smirk tugging at her lips.

“Hey, hahren.”

“Um. Hello.”

“Here’s the thing,” She began, and Solas would swear that his heart was in his throat. “I’m a _little_ drunk. And I’m kinda impatient when I’m drunk.”

“Okay,” He said, swallowing the lump in his throat.

“So here’s what I’m thinking.” She stepped forward, and didn’t stop. Solas backed up to compensate, until his back hit the other wall of the hallway. “How about we get out of here?”

She slid her hands onto his sides and sidled up close, pressing her chest against him and looking up at him from under her lashes, biting her lip.

Solas wasn’t sure what happened or when, but his hands had found their way to her hips and he’d spun them around so it was Ellana who was back against the wall. Her eyes had gone dark with want and her lips were parted slightly when her shoulders hit the wall.

Solas dug his fingers slightly into her hips through her jeans, and Ellana made a soft noise that went straight to Solas’ groin. “You’re playing with fire, da’len.”

“Danger excites me,” She said, pulling him closer to slot their hips together pointedly. “Seems like I’m not the only one, either.”

Solas felt a chill run up his spine, felt his willpower crumbling further and further by the second. “You live on this street?”

“Mmhm.”

“Let’s go.” He let go of her hips and took her hand instead, tugging her gently along.

Ellana gave a delighted laugh, half-running to keep up with Solas’ longer legs and longer stride. “Shit, okay, okay, I’m coming! You’re eager, hahren.”

“I don’t like being teased,” He managed, holding tight to her hand as they rushed through the crowded bar to get to the exit.

Someone- he suspected Bull –whistled at them from the table they’d been seated at, but Solas barely even registered it. All he could think about was Ellana’s warm palm against his, and how her skin was going to feel under his hands, under his tongue.

When they finally broke through the door the cold air jolted some sense into him, but it left him again as soon as Ellana wrapped an arm around his waist, grinning up at him.

The last sane thing he remembered thinking was ‘ _fuck it_ ’.

He slid a hand down her back to slip into the pocket of her jeans, walking fast down the cold street to get to her building. His mind was racing a mile a minute, the little voice in the back of his head reminding him how wrong this was nearly silenced by the heat of Ellana at his side.

He wanted to slam her up against the door of her apartment and feel her body against his, hear her whimper and beg for him, see her-

Solas was jolted back to reality by a shockingly bright light, a deafening boom, and a wave of vibrations and heat that knocked them both off their feet and sent them sprawling onto the cold pavement.

He blinked hard and scrambled to his feet, rubbing at the back of his head as he tried to make sense of what had just happened. In the night sky, the blinding light of a raging fire coming from a gaping hole blown into Ellana’s apartment building was the only thing he could see.

The bang from the explosion had made his ears feel like they were filled with cotton, but as it was dissipating, the first thing he could hear was the sound of people screaming.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (don't hate me I know I'm the worst I promise they're gonna bang EVENTUALLY) 
> 
> Comments & Kudos are always appreciated!!


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Honestly bless anyone who's stuck around waiting for me to update as sporadically as I do, you're all the best and I love you!  
> I'm gonna TRY to update on Sundays from here on out since things have calmed down a bit in my life, but don't hold me super strictly to that. This chapter is a bit shorter, but I figured you guys would take something over waiting another week... The next chapter is gonna be really cute and fluffy to make up for it!  
> Enjoy!

“Miss Lavellan? Miss Lavellan, can you hear me?”

“Ellana, sweetheart, they’re talking to you.”

“Hmm?” Ellana blinked hard, trying to clear the smoke and fire and blinding light out of her eyes. “I’m sorry, what?”

Dorian had taken all of six minutes to get there after getting the call from Cullen, dressed in flannel pajama bottoms and a sweatshirt, looking like more of a wreck than Ellana had ever seen him look in public. They’d moved a safe distance away from the building, and though the fire had still been put out, Ellana could still see smoke billowing into the night sky.

“Did you know the residents in the apartment above you?”

She cleared her throat, hating that she could still feel the smoke in her lungs. She shifted on her feet, and Dorian’s arm tightened around her shoulders where they sat in the back of the ambulance.

“I mean, I’ve, um. I’ve seen them before, but we weren’t, like… friends.”

“Did you have any suspicion that they were producing red lyrium in their apartment?”

“No, creators, no. You think I would’ve lived right below them if I knew they had a ticking time bomb up there?” Ellana laughed, and it sounded hysterical even to her own ears. The detective questioning her didn’t look impressed. “Seriously. No. They were a little weird and skeevy, but I had no idea.”

“You sure? No odd smells or noises? Odd people in and out of the building?”

Ellana rolled her eyes, growing more frustrated with each passing second. ”I already said I had no idea. I’m not sure what you’re implying, shem, but I don’t think I like it.”

“Ellana,” Dorian muttered, arm tightening around her for a moment.

Huffing, Ellana brought a hand up to scrub down her face. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry, this is all just…”

“I’m sure,” The detective said, sounding utterly unsympathetic. “Can you describe the residents of the apartment for me?”

“Um… Well, they were sh- humans,” Ellana corrected herself, ducking her head. The last thing she needed was to be arrested on bullshit charges by a racist cop to finish her night off. “One male, one female. The guy was an ex-templar, I think. Dark hair, kinda receding hairline… Long nose, usually had scruff around his jaw. The girl was from the Imperium I think, but, um… Really fair skinned and blonde. Gap in her front teeth.”

The detective nodded, scrawling everything down in his notepad. “And where were you when this happened?”

“Oh, um. I was at the bar right down the street with a couple friends. Me and-… The, um. The other elf, we were walking back to my apartment when-… You know. Is he okay?”

“Who?”

“The other elf. Solas.” When the blast had happened, she’d been knocked back and hit her head hard enough on the curb that she’d blacked out. When she came to there were paramedics standing over her, sirens blaring, people shouting. She’d been rushed off to the ambulance before she could get her eyes on him. “I’m pretty sure there weren’t any other elves there, but, um. Dark skinned, dreads, kind of dark gray-ish eyes?”

A look of distaste crossed the detective’s face for a moment, but they nodded all the same. “Pentaghast is questioning him. He was… uncooperative.”

“He wouldn’t let anyone touch you,” Dorian supplied, turning his head to cough. When he recovered, he took a rattling breath and continued. “The healers were about ready to hit him.”

“But Cassandra is with him?” Ellana clarified, glad that if he was being questioned at least it was Cassandra doing the questioning.

“You know the chief?” The detective looked disbelieving, eyes narrowed in suspicion.

“What, you shocked that us knife ears can have friends in high places?” She bit the words out, head pounding behind her eyes. “Yes. I know Cassandra. Do you have any more questions?”

The detective stared her down for a long moment, thin lips pulled into a frown. “No, that’s it for now. We’ll be in touch.”

“Uh huh, I’m sure you will.” Ellana watched as they got up and hopped out of the ambulance, walking away into the mess of people gathered around the scene of the explosion. No one would tell her what had happened to the other residents- if anyone had been killed. If the little girl of the Antivan woman next door to her had made it out okay, if the old Rivaini woman on the floor above her had been home. 

Dorian’s hand on her arm brought her back to reality.

“Thank the Maker you weren’t home, Ellana. If something had happened to you…”

“Yeah,” Ellana agreed, staring down at her hands, which were covered in scraped and scratches from falling onto the pavement. “Yeah, I know.”

Dorian sighed, planting a kiss into her frizzy hair. “You’ll come home with me, of course.”

“No, you should just go get some sleep. You shouldn’t even be out, you’re still sick.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, where else are you going to stay?”

“I dunno,” Ellana frowned, picking at her nails. “With Josie, or-”

“Or Solas?” He supplied, sounding mischievous even through the rough, nasally quality his voice had taken on from his illness.

“Maybe,” She agreed, too exhausted to even take the bait.

Dorian sighed again, and Ellana found herself even getting annoyed with him and his noises. Everything was too loud, too bright. She wanted to just lay down and go to sleep and pretend that her whole life hadn’t just gone up in flames.

“Alright. Come on, then. The healer looked at your head already, right?”

“Mm.”

“Let’s go find Solas, make sure Cassandra isn’t giving him too much trouble.” Dorian let his arm slide off from her shoulders so he could stand and climb down from the back of the ambulance. He held his hands out to her then, to help her out. “Though he seems like he can handle himself, even with her.”

Ellana took his hands and carefully got down, the world still spinning around her. When he wrapped an arm around her waist to support her, she didn’t protest. The closer they got to the scene, the more people were crowded around- journalists snapping pictures and screaming questions at anyone who would listen, police escorting people out of the building and into the waiting hands of paramedics, terrified residents of the block sticking their heads out to see what was going on.

They found Solas standing at the back of a police car, holding an ice pack to his arm while Cassandra wrote something down in a small note pad.

When he saw them approaching, Solas seemed to forget Cassandra was even there. He put the ice pack on the trunk of the car and half-jogged over to them, gentle hands coming up to cup Ellana’s face and inspect the blossoming bruise at her temple.

“ _Ane ma nuem?_ ”

“ _Tel telsila,_ I’m fine,” She assured him, offering him the best smile she could muster. “ _I ma? Ane ma nuem?”_

Solas shook his head slightly, brushing a thumb over her cheekbone. “ _Ar ame shathe ma tel’ane nuem_.”

It wasn’t until Dorian awkwardly cleared his throat at her side and removed his arm from around her waist that Ellana even remembered he was there.

Solas let his hands fall away, having the decency to look at least a little contrite.

“Do you have somewhere to stay for the night?” Solas asked her, sticking his hands into his pockets. She could see a nasty bruise starting to form on his forearm, but it didn’t look swollen or seriously injured.

“Well, she refuses to stay with me, as apparently I’m on bedrest. If you ask me, it’s just an excuse so you’ll invite her to stay with you and the two of you can- _ow_!”

“Ignore him,” Ellana muttered, pointedly not looking at the way he was rubbing at the spot on his side she’d just elbowed.

Solas looked between them for a moment, clearing his throat. “You are more than welcome to stay with me, Ellana. I have my car, I had to park a bit away because there wasn’t any room, so we should be able to get out without incident.”

Ellana nodded a bit, looking over at Dorian. “Are you gonna be okay?”

“Sweetheart, I’m not the one who just nearly died for the second time this month. I’ll be just fine, I’ll make Cullen come home with me.” He gave her the most charming smile he could manage with his hair a mess and moustache droopy, and leaned in to kiss her cheek. “Call me if you need anything, alright? Sick or no, I’m here for you.”

“I know. Love you.”

“I love you too,” Dorian responded, voice going a bit thick as he wrapped an arm around her and pulled her in for a clumsy hug. “Now go on, lovebirds. I expect all the details later.”

Ellana rolled her eyes, stepping back. “I’ll call you in the morning. Can you make sure someone’s scheduled to go in to the shelter tomorrow morning?”

“Of course,” Dorian agreed, waving a hand. “Now really, go, before someone has more questions for you.”

Ellana raised a hand in a wave as Dorian turned to find Cullen. Once he was out of sight, she turned to Solas, suddenly feeling a bit awkward.

“Ready to go?” Solas asked, putting a hand tentatively on her back to lead her towards his car.

“Well, going inside to grab my overnight bag probably isn’t an option,” Ellana joked weakly, but it was enough to elicit a small smile from Solas.

“No, probably not. It’s alright, I have an extra toothbrush somewhere.”

“You’re certainly well-prepared for having girls stay the night, aren’t you?”

Solas snorted at that, expertly weaving through the crowd until they were on the other side of the police tape and the crowd thinned out. “Having an extra toothbrush on hand is always a good idea.”

“Right, because you never know when you’re gonna be pinning a girl up against the wall in a bar hallway,” Ellana teased, desperately seeking some semblance of normalcy after the surreal events of the night.

“As I remember it, you pinned me first.”

“Semantics.”

“What did the healer say about your head?” He asked, deftly steering the conversation away from sex.

“Eh, mild concussion. They gave me some pain meds and told me to rest.”

“Mm. Well, as far as I know, no one is making red lyrium in my building, so we should be able to have a peaceful night.”

They came upon his car and he opened the door for her, ushering her into the passenger seat before he went over to the driver’s side and got in as well.

Ellana looked around the dark leather interior of the car- a high end hybrid car, touting a lower impact on the environment with all the amenities of a luxury car. She ran her hand over the dashboard, wondering how much he’d shelled out for it. Wondering how many people could have been fed with the money spent on it.

Solas turned the car on and old school elven music was playing on the stereo, the kind of music her keeper had listened to that was popular on reservations sixty or seventy years ago.

“Is this Dalish?” She asked, incredulous. “You’re listening to Dalish music?”

“It’s not Dalish,” Solas replied evenly, beginning to drive. “It’s a traditional Elvhen song, the Dalish simply happened upon it and re-popularized it.”

“Mythal preserve me, you have the weirdest taste in music,” Ellana shook her head, sitting back to get comfortable in the plush leather seat. Skyhold apartment complex was across town, in the rich district situated as far away from her corner of the slums as it could be.

“I prefer the term eclectic.”

“Tch, whatever, call it what you want. It’s still weird.”

Solas only hummed in response, so Ellana took the opportunity to close her eyes against the street lights in the hopes that her head would stop pounding quite so hard.

The next thing she knew, there was a hand on her shoulder, gently shaking her. She blinked herself awake, unaware that she had even fallen asleep.

“Come, _arasha_. We’e here.”

He was speaking so softly that Ellana almost thought she’d imagined the pet name. She brought a hand up, rubbing at her eyes. “Kay. ‘M coming. In a minute.”

“Do you want me to carry you?”

“Mmmhm.”

Ellana wasn’t sure if he laughed or not, but by the time he’d scooped her up into his warm arms, her eyelids were getting heavy again. She turned her face to bury it against the fabric of his shirt. He smelled like fire and smoke, but under that there was still his distinct smell. She focused on that, letting the comforting scent of old books and crisp winter mornings lull her back to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Elvhen translations:   
> -Ane ma nuem?: Are you hurt?  
> -Tel telsila: Don't worry  
> -I ma? Ane ma nuem?: And you? Are you hurt?  
> -Ar ame shathe ma tel’ane nuem: I'm happy you're not hurt
> 
> Comments & Kudos always appreciated!


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Of course, as soon as I put it out there that I was going to try for weekly updates, my personal life went up in flames. SORRY GUYS. I'm really trying I swear! I literally didn't proofread this chapter at all because I'm just trying to get it up, so bear with me through any typos or mistakes.
> 
> In other news, we're getting really close to these two knuckle heads finally getting their shit together! The next few chapters will feature some drama, jealous solas, and bold romantic gestures, so hold out just a little longer! 
> 
> Enjoy!

Getting Ellana to sleep had been… challenging. After carrying her up to his apartment, Solas had figured it would be easy enough to take her shoes off, lay her in his bed, and let her sleep. But of course, as the universe couldn’t let him catch a break, it didn’t go so smoothly. As soon as he got through the door with her, she woke up just enough to scramble out of his arms, rush into the kitchen, and throw up in the trash can.

Solas couldn’t really be mad at her, she had a fair amount of alcohol in her system and was concussed- he would have been more surprised if she _didn’t_ get sick. He sighed, supposed he was lucky she hadn’t thrown up in his bed, and set about getting Ellana cleaned up. It was another half hour later before he got her to brush her teeth and change into some of his clothes, but finally, thankfully, she had fallen asleep in his bed.

Solas shut the door to his bedroom behind him and headed back out into his living room, Fenlin trailing at his heels, excited by all the activity. Admittedly, the night had not gone how Solas wanted it to. With a groan, he toed his shoes off and fell back onto his sofa, scrubbing a hand down his face. His head was pounding, his arm hurt, and the events of the evening seemed to finally be catching up to him.

Fenlin hopped up onto the sofa and curled up in his lap, nudging at his hand for pets. Solas obliged lazily, running his fingers through the puppy’s soft fur as he thought over the events of the evening. The early investigations of the scene had lead the police to believe that the people in the apartment directly above Ellana had been producing red lyrium. Solas had done a bit of research on the stuff, and knew at the very least that it was extremely volatile and dangerous even when made correctly.

The knowledge that this had been going on so close to Ellana- that she could easily have been home when it went down –made Solas a little queasy. He’d known her living arrangements weren’t ideal, but if he had known…

He sighed and shook his head, trying to get those thoughts out of his mind. If he had known, then what? He had already told Ellana to call about an apartment in his building, and she had taken offense. There was nothing he could have done, save for marching up to the apartment and dealing with the tenants himself. Regardless, he told himself that it didn’t matter, Ellana was safe and it was over. All of her possessions were likely ruined, but things were replaceable. Even if he didn’t particularly care for her group of friends, he knew that they would pull together to help her through this. And of course, he would do his part where he could. If she would let him.

Solas checked the time on his phone and sighed, shifting on the sofa to lie down and stretch his legs out. It wasn’t quite as comfortable as his bed, but it would do for the night. He let Fenlin get comfortable curled up on his stomach, and let himself slip into the fade.

 

**********

 

Ellana woke up feeling like she’d gone head to head with a druffalo, and lost. Her mouth was dry, her head was full of cotton, the light streaming in from the window was criminally bright, and the smell of coffee and food filling the air was making her nauseous… But damn if the sheets surrounding her body weren’t the most luxurious things she’d ever slept in.

Slowly, Ellana forced herself to sit up and blink herself awake. Even despite her splitting headache and overall feeling of malaise, it definitely hadn’t been the most unpleasant night of sleep she’d ever had. The large, plush bed in the spacious room felt like it was made of clouds and smelled like Solas. She’d take a hangover for that.

The wonderful bed situation was only making it harder for her to convince herself to get up, however. So she sat back against the headboard and gave herself a few more minutes, reaching over to the nightstand to get her phone and check if she had any texts.

Unsurprisingly, she had more than a few. There were a few missed calls and voicemails, and twenty three texts waiting for her when she unlocked her phone. The majority of them were friends and family who wanted to make sure she was alright after seeing the news.

Ellana scrolled through them all until she found Dorian’s thread of texts, and opened that instead.

_Good morning, beautiful! Text me when you wake up so I know Solas hasn’t gone and whisked you off into the sunset. –DP_

She rolled her eyes and tapped out a response, having to squint a bit against the light of the screen.

_Morning. I’m like, 99% sure I’m dead and in the void. –EL_

_If this headache is anything to go by, then 100%. –EL_

She didn’t have to wait long before Dorian replied.

_My poor little dove. I’m not looking or feeling quite so blight ridden today, if you want to come over. –DP_

_Maybe in a bit. Once I get out of bed. –EL_

_Bed, eh? Solas’ bed? ;)))) –DP_

_Yeah, we had a really sexy night, right after I puked in his kitchen. –EL_

_Ew. –DP_

_I’ll text you in a bit, ok? –EL_

_Love you~ <3 –DP_

_Love u –EL_

Ellana took a deep breath and pushed the (very warm, very comfortable) blankets off her body. At some point before she passed out, she remembered Solas handing her a bundle of clothes, though she didn’t quite remember changing. As it turned out, he’d given her a faded graphic tee shirt that she was practically drowning in, and a pair of boxer shorts that came to her knees and fit loosely around her hips.

She hauled herself out of bed and tried to arrange her clothes a bit so she wouldn’t look like quite as much of a mess. Across the room, above the dresser, she caught sight of herself in a mirror and cringed. Her hair had turned into a frizzy, cotton candy mess around her head overnight. She tried to run her fingers through her kinky curls and immediately gave up, finding that all she was doing was making it worse.

Luckily, it only took a few moments of hunting before she found a black hair tie on the dresser. She flipped her head upside down and raked her hair into the pony tail, straightening up once it was secured. She looked in the mirror again, smoothed as many flyaways back as she could, and decided that was as good as it was going to get.

With a deep sigh and more than a little regret over the last few shots she’d done the night before, she headed over to the door to the bedroom and pulled it open, walking out.

The apartment was about as upper class as she’d expected it to be. The walls were a clean pale blue and the floors were a deep hardwood, and large windows dotted the apartment, providing a lovely view of the cityscape. There were piles of books and notes on the coffee table and end tables in the living room, though it looked like Solas had made a brief effort to at least straighten them out. Where the walls weren’t covered with bookshelves, they were filled with framed canvas paintings Ellana recognized as being done in the style of the frescos that had been found in the ruins of the ancient cities.

Though it was a lot bigger and a lot nicer than her usual haunts, Ellana couldn’t deny that she felt at home in the space.

“Ah, you’re awake.”

Solas was in the kitchen, separated from the living room only by a breakfast built into the marble counters lining the shining kitchen. His hair was all up, tied into a knot at the top of his head and leaving the shorn sides and back exposed. He was dressed as casually as Ellana had ever seen him, in grey flannel pajama bottoms, and a faded blue tee shirt from the University of Orlais.

“Hey, yeah, I’m… here.” Ellana finished lamely, her voice coming out a bit rough and gravelly. “Was I like, really obnoxious and gross last night? I’m sorry.”

“Not at all,” Solas assured her, pouring coffee into a mug. He set it onto the breakfast bar and motioned for her to sit. “I wasn’t sure what you normally eat for breakfast, but I made eggs.”

“That’s fine,” She assured him, moving to sit at the stool where he’d put her coffee. She wrapped her fingers around the mug and immediately took a long sip, hoping the bitter caffeine would make her feel a little less like a walking corpse

“Did you sleep well?” Solas asked, as he began to put food onto a plate for Ellana.

“Yeah, definitely. Thanks for um… Letting me crash here, in your bed and all.”

“It isn’t a problem.”

“Well… you know, thank you, anyway.” Ellana set her mug down and rubbed her palms over the skin of her thighs, sighing. “I have no idea what I’m gonna do now.”

Solas set her plate in front of her, presenting her with scrambled eggs, toast, and sausage. Ellana picked her fork up and poked at the eggs, not hungry but knowing she needed to get something into her stomach.

“Did you have renters insurance?”

Ellana snorted, shaking her head. Of course she didn’t, she could barely afford to pay standard rent and utilities.

“Mm. Well, you are well loved in the community. Maybe we could organize some sort of drive to raise money for-”

“No, the community is struggling as much as I am… I’ll figure it out.” Ellana stabbed at a bite of eggs and put them into her moth, chewing as she thought over her options.

“You’re welcome to stay here until you get back on your feet,” Solas offered, bringing his own plate of food over to sit next to her at the breakfast bar. “Or I could set you up in one of my empty apartments.”

“I couldn’t possibly accept that, you know that.”

“Why?”

“Because-… I can’t afford to live here, and I… I dunno, I don’t like being at someone else’s mercy. If that makes sense. Like… I’d rather struggle out there on my own than be dependent on someone who could leave and fuck me over at any given moment.”

“I would never-”

“That’s not the point,” Ellana interjected, setting her fork down. “I just can’t accept.”

Solas was silent for a long moment, which Ellana filled by picking at a loose thread on her borrowed tee shirt.

“That is… admirable, I suppose. But you never asked me how much it costs to live here.”

She sighed, shifting on the stool so she was angled towards him. “Alright, Solas. I’ll bite. How much.”

Solas hesitated for a moment, shaking his head. “You’ll think I’m lying if I tell you. Here.” He pulled his phone out and dialed a number, handing it over to Ellana.

Ellana took the phone, giving him a curious look.

“My assistant will answer. Ask her about rent.”

With a sigh, Ellana pressed call and brought the phone up to her ear. It was only a few moments before someone picked up on the other end- a woman who sounded entirely too chipper for how early in the morning it was.

“Skyhold Apartments, this is Merrill speaking, how can I help you today?”

“Uh… I was, um. Wondering about available apartments.”

“Oh! Yes, absolutely. We have three units open right now. How many bedrooms are you looking for?”

Ellana glanced over at Solas, who was feigning disinterest and eating his breakfast. “One.”

“Perfect, we have one single bedroom unit open, available starting next Thursday.”

“And how much would rent be?”

“Oh, well, the standard rate for single bedroom units is one thousand, five hundred and fifty sovereigns a month.”

Ellana nearly choked on air. “Mythal fucking preserve me.”

“Oh! Oh, are you Dalish?”

“I- what?”

“Me too! Aneth ara, falon!”

Ellana pinched the bridge of her nose, trying to grapple with the chipper voice of the woman- elf, as it turned out, on the other end of the phone, and with the massive monthly price on the smallest units available for rent.

“I… Okay.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. We just don’t have many Dalish living in Skyhold, I always get excited when one moves in!”

“Yeah, well, with a price like that I’m not moving in any time soon.” She glanced over at Solas, who was slyly smiling as he ran a fingertip around the rim of his glass. She nearly kicked his stool out from under him.

“Oh, wait, we have a housing program for elves if money is the issue! Let me, ah… one moment!”

“Okay…” Ellana took a sip of her coffee, waiting as something was shuffled around on the other end of the phone.

“Here we go! Okay, so basically, you fill out an application that includes your yearly income, monthly expenses, dependents like children or anything, stuff like that. And then we review the application, and set a price for monthly rent depending on what you can afford to pay.”

Ellana narrowed her eyes, watching Solas as she took the information in.

“How can you afford to do that?”

“Well, it’s only for elves, mind you. And… like I said, there aren’t many of us living here! Oh, you have to meet Solas! He’ll be so thrilled to have another elf on board! He’s a bit touchy about Dalish stuff, but don’t let that scare you, he’s really a great-”

Solas took the phone from Ellana’s hand, bringing it up to his own ear. “Thank you, Merrill. Get back to work.”

With that, he hung up and set the phone on the counter, leaving an uncomfortable silence in the air.

“So, you…”

“Mm.”

“And you didn’t tell me?”

“You seemed offended by being treated like a charity case, I assumed this would only…” He sighed, waving a hand in lieu of finishing his statement.

Ellana looked down at her hands, thinking. Solas sometimes seemed so disconnected from Elven culture- be it city elves or Dalish –that she forgot he was an elf too. That he likely faced the same hardships that the rest of their people did, and had risen to the top despite it all. It made something warm spread in her chest to know that he was doing what he could to help their people in the city.

“You should advertise this program more.”

“I fear that if I did, I would be suffering from more random health and safety inspections than I could keep up with.” He gave her a tight smile, shrugging. “I advertise by word of mouth through the alienages, but. As I’m sure Merill told you, there are very few Dalish we come into contact with here in the city.”

Ellana nodded a bit, tucking a loose curl behind her ear. “That’s… creators. Fuck. That’s really cool, Solas. Maybe I, ah… misjudged you a bit.”

“What was that?” Solas raised an eyebrow, a smile tugging at his lips.

“Shut up.” She grinned, knocking their knees together. “Don’t let it go to your head.”

He laughed at that, a full laugh that made his eyes crinkle around the edges, and Ellana felt herself falling. “Mhm.”

She rolled her eyes, picking up a piece of toast to break the crust off. “Hey, can I take a shower then? You don’t have any hair products, do you…?”

“I have a deep conditioner and some oils, but not much other than that.”

Ellana sighed, bringing a hand up to feel at her frizzy, puffy ponytail. “Well, at least I can deep condition it…  Can I ask you something?”

“Of course.”

“Like, I’ve never seen a professor with dreads before.”

Solas laughed again at that, shaking his head.

“Perhaps not, but I assure you there are others. The notion that certain hairstyles are unprofessional is prejudiced and damaging… This style was popular among the ancient elves, actually.”

“Really?” Ellana raised an eyebrow, watching as Solas brought a hand up and undid the knot holding his dreads into place.

“At least, among the ancient elves with hair types similar to mine, and to yours.” He set his hair tie aside, looking over at Ellana. “For a while, my hair was shaved nearly to the scalp.”

“Shut up.”

“Honestly,” Solas assured her, smiling. “It was while I was working in Orlais, there was a certain… ah, pressure put on me. One of my supervisors came to me and told me that if I wanted to stay on board, I needed to look more professional.”

“Tch. Shems.”

“Mm. So, I shaved it off… It was certainly less work, but…” He shrugged, running his fingers through his hair. “I am not ashamed of my people, and I refuse to let a human tell me what is or isn’t acceptable for me to do with my own body.”

“Wow. I think this is the first time I’ve heard you bad mouth shems.” Ellana raised an eyebrow, impressed but surprised by his sentiments.

“Ah. Well. You have many human friends.”

“Well, yeah, but…. They’re not assholes. They’re aware that historically, humans have kind of been dicks to us. Dorian especially. His family still owns fucking slaves.”

Solas’ expression turned positively sour. “And you remain friends with him?”

“Well, _he_ doesn’t own them, his father does. And he left there because his father hates him as much as he hates elves. He plans on going back in the future, working to change the laws to make slavery illegal.”

“He’ll only get bogged down in legal jargon. He’ll never accomplish anything if he goes that route.”

Ellana sighed, shrugging. “What do you want him to do?”

“Act,” Solas said simply, shrugging. “His father owns slaves. So, return home, and find a way to smuggle the elves in question out of the country.”

“It’s not that simple.”

“Why not?”

Ellana huffed, shaking her head. “Because it’s just not, Solas! He can’t even go back to the Imperium while his father is alive, or _his_ head will be on a silver platter.”

Ellana braced herself for whatever reply Solas would spit out, but it didn’t come. Instead, Solas’ shoulders slumped and he sighed.

“Forgive me, you are right. It is just… infuriating, to know that our people are slaves, still, after all this time.”

“Yeah. I know. They’re working on it, at least. There are tons of movements in action to get it banned, The Imperium is just…” She sighed, waving a hand. “Well. You know. The way they see it, they couldn’t care less if the rest of the world hates them. And no one else can afford to piss them off too much, because they’ve got, you know, a fuck ton of blood mages.”

Solas snorted, shaking his head. “That’s one way to put it.”

“Anyway, if you’ve got a better plan, then get out there and put it into motion.”

Solas glanced over at her, an odd expression on his face for half a second. As soon as it had appeared, he had smoothed his features into neutrality. “Perhaps I will.”

“Good. So, about this shower.”

“Right.” Solas got to his feet, brushing his hands free of crumbs. “Let me get you a towel and some clothes.”

“Thanks… I should text Dorian, tell him to go shopping for me and pick up a couple days worth of clothes.” She got to her feet as well, following Solas back through the living room and to the bathroom.

“That would certainly be helpful, I’m not sure how much more of my clothing you’ll fit into without it falling off.”

“So that’s your plan, huh? Get my clothes to fall off?” Ellana told herself that she was only teasing. They both knew she was only half joking.

“If I wanted to get you out of your- _my_ clothes, I wouldn’t need such a convoluted scheme to do it.”

“Confident. I like that.”

“So you’ve said.” Solas lead her into the bathroom, pulling a towel from the linen closet and setting it on the counter. “I’ll leave some clothes for you in the bedroom… I have to run to the grocery store, but I should be back in an hour or two. Do you need anything?”

“No, I’m good. I’m gonna have Dorian bring me some stuff later.”

“Alright.” Solas looked around, rubbing at the back of his neck. “Well, ah… I’ll leave you to it.”

“Alright, see you in a bit.”

Ellana shifted awkwardly from one foot to the other, watching as Solas ducked out of the room and shut the door behind him. Every time she thought they were getting somewhere, Solas seemed to find a way to pull away. Hadn’t they nearly gotten it on the night before? Ellana was pretty sure they had. Sighing, she shook her head and started to get undressed. Maybe Solas had just been drunk, maybe he regretted it.

Either way, she was getting the signal loud and clear. She’d have to lay off the flirting, find a way to stop fantasizing about being pinned under him, and move on. Even if he wasn’t interested in her sexually or romantically, she was growing more fond of him than she wanted to admit. She wouldn’t lose him as a friend just because she wanted sex.

Ellana finished undressing and turned the shower on, fumbling for a moment with the digital controls on a panel embedded in the neat tiled wall. She waited a few moments for it to heat up, and then got in.

She wasn’t sure what she was more head over heels for- Solas, or his shower. The water pressure was amazing, the water came out from the top _and_ panels on the side, and it had temperature control by degrees. As if that wasn’t enough, Solas’ shampoo and conditioner were the sort of high end products Ellana could only stare wistfully at from across the store, in the discount isle.

She took her time working the shampoo into her hair, and then rinsed it and applied a generous amount of conditioner too. Everything felt so nice and perfect for a few moments, that even her blinding headache couldn’t bring her mood down. In fact, the only thing that could possibly have made it better was if Solas was in there with her.

Ellana mentally scolded herself for that thought, summoning any mental image she could to avoid thinking about Solas’ bare skin glistening in the water above her while she sank to her knees and-

“Fuck,” Ellana sighed, reaching out to adjust the water temperature to cold.

Friends, she reminded herself. She could be friends. _Just_ friends.

She said a silent prayer to all the creators for strength, and finished her shower shivering.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments & Kudos are greatly appreciated!


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!! This isn't proofread at all I'm so sorry! I had like 45 seconds to throw it up quick, so I did. Sorry it's a little short, I had to cut it here to make the next chapter work. We're getting there guys, I promise.
> 
> Hope you guys enjoy, despite the massive delay!!

Living around Solas was easier than Ellana could possibly have believed. A few days turned into a week, and then two weeks, and though there was sometimes talk of moving her down to the open unit, it had yet to happen.

The first time Solas slept in the bed with her, Ellana had been so nervous she was sure she was going to throw up. After five days of Solas sleeping on his sofa in his own home, Ellana decided enough was enough.

“Hey, you know, you have a pretty big bed,” She had said, while they sipped wine over dinner. How Solas had hidden the fact that he was such an amazing cook, she had no idea.

“It is,” Solas had agreed, more focused on the papers he was grading than on the conversation.

“You could, like… sleep on it too. I mean, I don’t mind. It’s ridiculous for you to sleep on the sofa, this is your place.”

Solas had looked startled by the request, nearly spilling his glass of red wine onto his papers. But after several reassurances on Ellana’s part, he finally agreed.

Ellana’s fears that the tension between them in one bed would be over bearable was eliminated as soon as they got into bed. Solas, it turned out, slept like a rock. It seemed that as soon as his head hit the pillow he was out, expression calm and peaceful with his hands folded neatly over his chest.

It was almost unnerving. Ellana, by contrast, slept sprawled out with her mouth hanging open. She knew because Dorian had taken pictures of it. Multiple times.

Sleeping situations aside, living with Solas felt natural. She found herself getting comfortable there in a way she didn’t think she would be able to.

They talked, more than anything. On days that Solas had classes to teach, Ellana busied herself with reading or playing with Fenlin. And eventually, she was allowed to go in to the shelter for a few hours a day. Most of the time, though, it was the two of them and the quickly growing puppy, and long hours free for whatever they wanted to do.

Solas, diligent teacher that he was, also made sure that Ellana was practicing her magic. At first it was mostly Solas lecturing, about the face, about the veil, about anything he could think of. Ellana liked to listen to him talk. Watching him practice magic, however, was even more enjoyable.

He had a control over his magic that Ellana had never seen before, even in the professional healers and mages that had dedicated their lives to chantry-approved magical practices. She could feel herself improving as she worked with him, but she doubted she was ever going to have the easy command over it that he did.

Sunday afternoon saw her curled up on the sofa with Fenlin in her lap, while Solas assembled a new bookshelf for his study. He had the pieces spread out on the living room floor around him, and a steady stream of Elvish curses was being muttered under his breath.

“Do you want some help?” Ellana asked, amused as she scratched behind Fenlin’s ears.

Solas shot her a withering look, trying to jam two pieces of wood together. “I have a PhD.”

Ellana snorted, ducking her head to press a kiss to Fenlin’s fur. “You sure do.”

“I’m not going to be bested by a bookshelf. _Fenedhis!_ ”

“There’s no shame in asking for help, you know.”

“There most certainly is,” Solas bit out, getting up onto his knees to screw one of the wood boards into place. “I refuse to let this wooden monstrosity beat me.”

“Talk about fragile masculinity,” Ellana clucked her tongue, shaking her head. “You show that bookshelf who’s boss, hahren.”

As she finished her sentence, the structure of the bookshelf that Solas had managed to assemble collapsed. With a loud curse, Solas set the pieces of wood on fire.

“Creators, fuck, Solas!” Fenlin whined in her lap, the fur on the back of his neck standing up.

As easily as he had started the fire, Solas waved a hand and snuffed it out, a sour look on his face.

“We didn’t really need another bookcase anyway,” Solas decided, looking at the charred pieces of wood and ash on the floor.

It was all so ridiculous that Ellana couldn’t help but laugh. The fact that Solas had said ‘we’, like this was really her apartment too and not just some fantasy she was drawing out, made her heart leap into her throat. But even so, there was Solas, the distinguished and sophisticated man she had first thought him to be, setting a bookcase on fire because he couldn’t figure out how to build it.

“Are you _laughing_ at me, da’len?” Solas asked, mock-hurt tinging his voice.

“I’m…sorry,” Ellana said, between fits of laughter. “But it’s funny!”

Solas sighed, getting to his feet. He went into the kitchen to get a dust pan, broom, and trash bag. “My own student, turning against me at this dire hour.”

“Woah, woah, hey. How many times did I offer my stubborn old hahren help?” Ellana raised an eyebrow, watching him bring the items back into the living room so he could clean the mess up.

Solas mumbled something incomprehensible, sweeping the ashes into the bin.

“What was that?” Ellana prompted, holding Fenlin in her lap so he wouldn’t jump down into the soot and make more of a mess.

“I said several times,” Solas repeated, more clearly. “Are you happy now?”

“Mm, very.”

“The abuse I suffer here in my own home is ridiculous.”

“Be glad Dorian isn’t here, he wouldn’t have been as nice about it as I’m being.”

Solas rolled his eyes, moving back into the kitchen to wash his hands. “Speaking of, are you still going over to his place for dinner?”

“Mmhm,” Ellana nodded, letting Fenlin finally jump down from her lap so he could sniff at the ground where the pile of wood and soot had been. “He’s picking me up in like… ten minutes. I told him I could take the subway, but he apparently thinks I’m incapable of navigating the subway system by myself.”

“You did get lost going to-”

“Shut up,” Ellana muttered, getting slowly to her feet. She stretched her arms over her head and yawned, almost wishing she could just stay curled up on the sofa forever. But that wasn’t realistic, and she _did_ want to see Dorian. “It was my first time on the subway, let it die.”

“Whatever you say, da’len.”

“Mythal preserve me, you’ve gotta stop calling me that, it’s so weird.” She went over to the door, picking up her worn down sneakers. She took them back over to the sofa and sat down, stuffing her feet into them. “I’m not that much younger than you.”

“You call me hahren,” Solas pointed out, returning to the living room to sit down on the sofa next to her.

“Different, you’re literally my teacher.”

“It’s not different.”

“It is! You calling me ‘da’len’ feels like…. Okay, there’s this story we tell our kids in the clan,” She began, bringing her hands up to pull her hair into a ponytail and secure it with the tie around her wrist. “About a wolf and a little girl in the forest.”

“You’re comparing me to the wolf who eats the little girl’s mamaela?”

Ellana gave him an apologetic smile, shrugging. “He also eats the little girl, in the end… He calls her ‘da’len’ in this like, predatory way! It reminds me of the way you say it.”

“You think I’m _predatory_?” Solas raised an eyebrow, shifting to face her.

“Well-… I don’t know, a little.”

“You’re afraid I’m going to eat you,” Solas clarified, voice deadpan.

“Depends on what context we’re using the word ‘eat’ in,” Ellana said, the words falling out of her mouth before she could stop them.

Solas’ eyebrows shot up, and when he opened his mouth to speak, Ellana was quick to cut him off.

“Well, I’ve gotta run.” She got to her feet, checking her phone. “Dorian will be here any second, and you know how slow the elevator is.”

“Er…”

“Yep, see you later.” She stepped carefully around the coffee table and grabbed her coat off a hook by the door, shoving it on as quickly as she could.

“Ellana.”

“So I’ll be back late, unless I just sleep at Dorians, which I probably will do-”

“ _Ellana-_ ”

“And then tomorrow I have to be at the shelter at 5, we’ve got some volunteers coming in to help with-”

“Da’len.”

Ellana stopped dead in her tracks, a chill running down her spine at the way his voice had gone sharp and gravelly. She slowly turned to face him again, hoping her face didn’t look as red as it felt.

Solas had gotten to his feet and was moving across the room to her, which only made her face feel hotter. He brought a hand up to her chin, forcing her to hold his gaze.

“Do you honestly feel that way?” He asked, voice back to its normal gentle lull.

“About the eating me thing, or-” 

Solas rolled his eyes, giving a minute shake of his head.

“About thinking of me as the wolf in this story.”

“Oh.” Ellana hadn’t really thought it through. Of course Solas would know how her people saw wolves, and assume she was as serious about fearing him as most of her clan had been about their fear of the Dread Wolf. “I was only joking, Solas.”

Solas raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.

“Seriously! Come on, we’ve talked about this. Wolves don’t scare me. _You_ don’t scare me.”

Solas lifted his chin slightly, searching her face for what felt like hours. Finally, he let his hand fall away and took a step back. “I won’t call you that again, then, if it bothers you.”

“Solas, come on. I was messing with you. It’s mostly weird because it’s what my keeper calls me, and she’s like my auntie or grandma or something, and when _you_ call me it, it’s…”

“It’s what?” Solas pressed, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Well, it’s not…. I don’t associate _you_ with my family, so it’s just… weird.”

“Right- what is it you’re always saying? ‘Creators forbid’?”

“No, I didn’t mean it in like a negative way! I just mean- fuck.” She sighed, pulling her phone from her pocket as it vibrated. “Dorian’s here.”

“You’d better go, then.”

“I’ll text you, okay?” She took a step back, putting a hand on the doorknob.

“Sure.”

Ellana lingered for a long moment, trying to find something in the neutral mask Solas had arranged his features into. Finally she sighed and nodded, turning to exit the apartment and close the door behind her. The worst part was, she wasn’t even sure what had made him react so strongly. She really had only been joking, but perhaps she’d struck a nerve.

As she rode down the elevator to the lobby of the building, she was only reminded of how little the two of them really knew about each other. No, that was a lie. Solas seemed to know a terrible lot about her, while she knew enough about him to count the facts on one hand.

The bracing winter air that hit her when she made it out the front doors helped to clear her head a little, and she could at least take comfort in knowing that she got Dorian’s undivided attention for the whole night, as Cullen was on a call for work in the next city over.

Dorian was sitting in his car right at the curb, so it was easy enough to spot him. She walked around to the passenger side and got in, closing the door behind her with a little more force than was necessary.

“Peaches, you look positively murderous. Who are we going after?” Dorian leaned over to press a kiss to her cheek.

“Ugh,” Was all Ellana said in response, buckling her seatbelt.

“Trouble in paradise?” Dorian pressed, beginning to drive away from the building. “Has Solas done something truly unforgivable? Like wearing those green corduroy trousers again?”

Ellana rolled her eyes, shaking her head. “We were just… talking, and I pissed him off by accident.”

“What did you say?”

“Well I-… It’s hard to explain, but I kind of compared him to a wolf for a name he calls me, and he got all pissy.”

“Well, to be fair, you _did_ say that the Dalish boogeyman is a wolf.” Dorian pointed out, glancing over at her as they came to a red light.

“Yeah, but…” Ellana huffed. “We’ve already talked about how I don’t really buy into the creators bullshit, especially not about some giant wolf that locked them all away and eats children in his spare time.”

“Mm. I don’t know, peaches, you know him better than I do.”

“Not by far.”

“Don’t say that,” Dorian frowned, turning his attention back to the road. “You’re practically living with the man, you learn a lot about a person that way.”

“You’d be surprised,” Ellana said, looking out the window.

There was a stretch of silence, and then finally Dorian spoke again.

“Does he like tea, or coffee in the morning?”

“Neither, unless he had a really bad night’s sleep, and then he likes either, but only loaded with sugar.”

“Mmhm, and what’s his favorite food?”

“I don’t know, probably cakes. Those stupid little ones, he gets one from the Orlesian bakery down the street like, every other afternoon.”

“What kind of music does he like?”

“Classical.”

When they pulled up to the next red light, Ellana could feel Dorian looking at her.

“What?” She sighed, turning to look at him as well.

“Sounds like you know him pretty well to me, peaches.”

She rolled her eyes, looking down at her hands. “I don’t know where he was born. I don’t know if he has a family, or… or anything else about him, really.”

“Have you asked?”

“Well-…. Well, no.”

“You know what I’m going to say,” Dorian hummed, starting to drive again as the light changed.

“Shut up,” She mumbled, drumming her fingers against her knee.

“Alright, alright. How about this, no more talk of boyfriends for the night? Just us, and a bottle of very expensive spiced rum.”

“He’s not my-”

“Extending an olive branch here, peaches.”

Ellana rolled her eyes for what felt like the hundredth time that day, sighing. “Alright, alright.”

“I may actually need to rum more than you do, tonight.”

Ellana frowned at that, looking over at him. She’d been so caught up in her own spiral of self-pity that she hadn’t noticed how exhausted he looked.

“What’s wrong, babe? Are things ok with you and Cullen?”

“Things are great with Cullen,” Dorian assured her, turning onto his street. “It’s not that.”

“Then what?”

Dorian sighed and shook his head, parking on the street in front of his townhouse. He shut the car off but made no move to get out, so Ellana stayed put as well, patiently waiting for him to be ready to speak.

“My father called.”

“Oh, shit.”

“He’s in town,” Dorian continued, scoffing. “He wants to meet for dinner.”

Ellana bit her tongue to keep from saying where she thought his father could stick that offer, not wanting to make it worse.

“What are you going to do?”

“I don’t know,” He sighed, raking his fingers through his hair. “What do you think I should do?”

“Oh, Dorian, I don’t…”

“Peaches. Please. I haven’t told Cullen about… Well. The reason why I left home, yet, and I don’t want a meeting with my father to be the first time he hears it. I need some guidance here.”

“I-… It’s up to you. If you feel like you need the closure of seeing him and formally telling him to fuck himself, then do it. If not, no one could blame you for not wanting to see him, Dorian.”

Dorian was quiet for a long moment, until he finally turned to look at her. “I need to know what he has to say. Would you-”

“Of course,” Ellana said quickly, nodding her head. “I’ll be there for moral support. And to kick his wrinkly ass if he tries anything.”

“Have I told you lately that I love you?”

“Not in the last three hours, no.”

“Well, let me rectify that.” He leaned across the center console of the car, wrapping Ellana in the best hug either of them could manage with the awkward positioning. “Thank you, Ellana. I have no idea what I would do without you.”

“Be in constant emotional turmoil, probably,” Ellana supplied, smiling into his shoulder. “Come on, you big sap. Let’s at least get inside. We can talk about it more when we’re both a little tipsy.”

“Beauty, _and_ brains. You truly have it all.” Dorian pulled away, sniffing and rubbing at his eyes for a moment.

“I know, I’m kind of amazing.”

“And modest.”

“Shut up,” Ellana laughed, getting out of the car. “You love me.”

“I do,” Dorian agreed, following suit to get out of the car. He locked it behind him and moved around to her side, wrapping an arm around her shoulders as they walked up to the door of his townhouse. “Enough of this sad talk. I have leftover takeout, wine, and the first four seasons of Project Runway. We can turn this night around.”

Ellana laughed, leaning on his side as he unlocked the door and lead them inside.

“I can’t think of anything else I’d rather be doing.”

“Me either, peaches. Me either.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments & Kudos are always appreciated!!


End file.
